Google's Pixel phones find themselves subject to more scrutiny than any other - except perhaps the iPhone - when they launch, with reviewers picking out problems and early users often finding bugs they don't like.

These usually emerge in a number of sensationalised reports and often amount to nothing - but sometimes there's something bigger going on. 

So here's a rundown of some of the Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL problems, so you can see what bugs have appeared, how to fix them or what action is being taken.

Camera app won't launch 

It's probably the best camera on a phone right now, but there are some reports from owners saying that they can't actually launch the camera. Instead they get a "fatal error" message, rendering the camera unusable. At the moment it's not known what's causing the problem and it's certainly not something that all Pixel users are experiencing. It seems to have happened after the 5 November security update.

What's happening about it?  At the moment, not a lot, but it looks like a candidate for a software fix.

Messages being deleted 

There has been a growth in reports of SMS messages vanishing from the Messages app, with some users finding that whole threads had gone from their phone. This is a recent occurrence, with the suggestion that it has been caused by a recent security update. 

What's happening about it? It has been reported that rolling the Messages app back to an older version may stop the problem happening, but Google has also confirmed that it will roll out a fix.

Background apps closing - memorygate 

This is the biggest issue that's circulating around the Pixel 3: apps will close in the background when you don't want them to. For some things that doesn't matter, but if you jump out of a game to take a photo, you'll return to the game and find the app has to completely restart - and that's not good.

We suspect that Android is doing this to save background power usage in Android Pie, but at the moment, it doesn't seem right and it can be annoying.

What's happening about it? Google is aware of the issue and rolled out an update that goes some way to addressing the problem in December 2018. Some apps will close in the background, but generally speaking the situation is now improved.

Photos don't save when taken

This is an irritation that we've seen - as have many others. You can take a photo and then find that it doesn't actually save - it just vanishes. You open the Photos and it's not there. It doesn't happen all the time, only once for us, but it might be related to the memory issue above.

What's happening about it? Google is aware of the issue and will be releasing a fix according to The Verge

Overheating on charging

There has been an emergence of reports about the phone overheating when charging wirelessly and through wired chargers, especially when doing something else. A number of owners have reported that they have received notifications about the Pixel getting too hot (it appears to be limited to the Pixel 3 so far) and in some cases the phone has shut down to protect it from heat damage.

We've not experienced this problem ourselves, so it doesn't seem to be affecting all devices.

What's happening about it? This is a new problem and so far there's no word from Google about it.

Wireless charging restrictions 

The Pixel 3 phones will fast charge wirelessly if you use the Pixel Stand, but won't fast charge on other devices. Equally, other devices are limited to slow charging on the Pixel Stand.

What's happening about it? Google is working with partners to certify 10W wireless charging in the Made for Google programme according to Engadget. Whether that means other devices will fast charge on Pixel Stand, we don't know. 

Poor sound quality in video capture

There have been reports of poor audio quality in video. This was something that was abundantly clear in YouTuber SuperSaf's video comparison with the iPhone XS Max, where the Pixel 3 seems tinny and harsh by comparison.

What's happening about it? Google said it's deliberate and designed to remove background noise like wind, so it might never get a fix (you can also hear those effects in the video) according in Android Police, however Google is reportedly rolling out a patch to improve the situation according to 91mobiles.

Random notches appearing

There have been sightings of not just one notch, but multiple notches appearing on the Pixel 3 XL. This seems to be a bug that makes another cut-out appear somewhere else on the display. 

What's happening about it? Google is aware and says that a fix is coming reports Piunikaweb.