The second-generation Pixel phones have seen a flurry of complaints, with users flagging problems with the OLED display, strange effects when clicking the picture, muted microphones, a mysterious buzzing noise, random reboots, and crashes in Android Auto mode.
Some Pixel 2 users in the Google Product Forums have now claimed that the USB-C to 3.5mm headphone adapters is not working on their phones, with sound still being played on the device.
A few days back, we have reported that some Pixel 2XL owners noted that their fingerprint scanner was taking too long to unlock handsets after the update to Android 8.1. If you check out the Google Product Forum, there are complaints from back in October by users who found that the USB-C to 3.5mm headphone adapter cable that comes in the box with the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, simply didn't work.
According to Phone Arena, earlier this month, a community member named Qiu Yulong had a theory about why this problem is taking place. According to him, the USB-C port handles too many different tasks, when you plug in the adapter, it is acting as though you plugged in a charger. "His solution to this is to enable developer mode by going to Settings-> System-> About phone-> Tap on the build number 7 times. Once that is accomplished, go to Settings-> System-> Developer Options-> Networking-> Select USB configuration and then Audio Source from the pop-up list. If you follow these directions perfectly, the adapter should work correctly says Qiu."
Given the inconsistency with which the solutions work, it is possible that there are multiple issues in play here—while some apps also may be interfering with sound output, the adapter may also be faulty. Google Support is offering replacements for the defective adapter.
