A notification sound bug in Android 16 has affected some Pixel owners, muting subsequent alerts if one remains in the notification shade; Google has acknowledged the issue and stated a fix will be implemented in an upcoming Quarterly Platform Release (QPR).
The stable version of Android 16, released in June, introduced this issue where notifications fail to play sounds if an existing notification is present in the dropdown menu. A user documented the problem on Google’s Issue Tracker in June.
The report from the user stated, “When testing notifications, we realized that subsequent notifications are not playing any sounds, even when volume has been set to the MAX volume, as well as Do-Not-Disturb override permissions are granted (although this issue exists both when DND mode is on and off).” It also noted, “Upon dismissing the notifications, the next notification WILL play a sound.”
This issue spans various Pixel phone models, with complaints originating from users of the Pixel 6 through the Pixel 9 series. Users reported that this bug particularly impacts essential alerts, including those from alarms, smart cameras, and glucose monitors.
Google officially acknowledged the issue on August 7, confirming a resolution is in progress. The company stated, “Thanks for reporting this issue. It’s fixed internally and will be included in the next quarterly release.”
The exact QPR release that will contain this fix remains unconfirmed. Android 16 QPR1 is anticipated later this month, while the QPR2 release is scheduled for December. Some users have adopted temporary solutions, such as acquiring the notification manager apps from the Play Store.
