4K HDR YouTube video crashing and rebooting the Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro 

Selected Pixel devices, including the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro, are experiencing an unusual glitch that causes them to crash and soft reboot when a particular YouTube video is played. The video in question is a 4K HDR clip from the movie Aliens, and attempting to open it on the YouTube app may result in your Pixel 7 or 7 Pro becoming unresponsive, crashing, and then rebooting immediately. The issue was initially highlighted in a Reddit thread, and it seems to occur only when loading the specific video (credit to Mishaal Rahman).

According to the thread, some Pixel 6 and 6a handsets are also susceptible to crashing when attempting to play the video. Hence, the problem is not limited to the latest Google phones. Not all Pixel 7 series devices will experience a crash when attempting to play the YouTube video, and the cause of the issue remains unclear. However, some users have reported temporary cellular connectivity problems after their device reboots. The problem usually resolves itself after a few minutes, but a full reboot may be necessary.

Having tested that, we discovered that the phone may crash even before the video has loaded. Simply clicking the link or accessing the YouTube app on your Pixel 7 may result in a soft reboot. In contrast, other devices, such as the recently released Xiaomi 13 Pro, appear to be unaffected.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen issues with images or videos causing crashes on mobile devices. A few years ago, the Pixel 2 was prone to constant crashing due to a wallpaper bug, which has since been resolved. Another wallpaper bug caused Android phones to become “bricked.”

Like those previous issues, this current problem may be related to the color space. However, we’ll keep you posted if we learn more. Alternatively, if you’ve experienced any other YouTube videos or content that causes your Pixel 7 to crash, please let us know in the comments section below.