A new Pixel bug is affecting tap-to-pay functionality, leaving some users unable to make contactless payments at checkout. The issue centres on NFC (Near Field Communication), the technology that enables devices to exchange data wirelessly over very short distances and is commonly used for services such as Google Pay, Apple Pay and public transit ticketing.
This is the latest in a series of problems reported by Pixel owners. Earlier complaints described new notifications failing to appear on the notification shade, along with Quick Settings tiles for the flashlight, Wi-Fi and screen rotation appearing on screen but freezing and failing to register any touches. A separate bug affected the Google Photos app, where the screen became unresponsive after editing an image, preventing users from sharing the edited photo without first returning to the gallery.
Which Pixel models are affected
Reports on Reddit indicate that multiple Pixel users are experiencing a loss of NFC connectivity. Handsets named by those encountering the problem include the Pixel 11 Pro, the Pixel 11 Pro XL and the Pixel 10a. Because NFC underpins tap-and-pay features, an outage prevents affected devices from completing transactions at a point-of-sale terminal.
Some users initially attributed the fault to a hardware change. For the 2026 line, Google moved the NFC antenna to the top edge above the camera bar, meaning owners must aim the top of the phone at payment terminals. Anyone struggling to use Google Pay at a POS terminal can try aiming the Pixel in this way.
A workaround, but not a fix
The revised antenna placement does not fully explain the problem, however. Owners of the Pixel 8, Pixel 9 and Pixel 10 have reported the same issue, which appears to rule out the new antenna position in the Pixel 11 series as the sole cause.
For now, the only reliable workaround cited by affected users is restarting the handset. Some report that tap-to-pay worked again after a reboot, though this is far from a practical solution when standing in a busy queue with customers waiting behind.
A software update from Google remains the outstanding requirement to resolve the bug across the affected models.
Source
Image: phonearena.com
