Following this morning’s release of the January security patch, several Pixel and Pixel 2 devices have encountered lag after sideloading the update. Issues include slow animations and long app launch times, but fortunately these is an easy fix.

Android 8.1 with the January security patch rolled out this morning with the usual set of bug fixes for the new year. Some who have gone ahead and manually sideloaded the update rather than wait for the OTA have noticed a number of issues. This includes users with the Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2, and Pixel 2 XL.

Booting after the update takes several minutes, with the phone stuck on the white screen just after the boot animation with only a progress bar and Google logo to denote that the phone is still running in the background.

The phone will eventually open the lockscreen, however, there is another loading bar before your homescreen and apps load. Meanwhile, there is a notification that says “Finishing Android update…” That alert is normal, but the length it takes to complete is not at approximately five minutes on my device.

Even after that has completed, there is a noticeable seconds-long lag after tapping on an icon and the app actually opening. In some apps, like Gmail, users will encounter more loading screens before messages begin to load. Other issues I’ve noticed include delayed nav bar actions, especially when tapping the home button, as well as my device heating up.

Fortunately, there is a simple fix. Several users, including myself, have found that rebooting the device will resume normal, smooth operation. Some noted the return of the “Finishing Android update” notification for a second time.

Update: Google has confirmed that sideloading the January security patch results in these lag issues. However, those who update via the OTA should not encounter the problem.

Of note, the Functional updates section of January’s Pixel / Nexus Security Bulletin notes a fix to “Improve stability and performance after installing an OTA.” This is so far not the case.

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