In this guide, we will show you various methods to fix the issue of Pinch to Zoom not working on Google Pixel 4A. The devices from the Silicon Valley giant are notoriously infamous for getting bugged with quite a few issues. To make matter worse, some of these issues take months before it gets rectified. However, that has been an issue that was first reported close to three years back and is yet to be addressed.
In this regard, users are voicing their concern even to this date that the Pinch to Zoom feature is not working on their Pixel 4A. As a result of this, users are unable to zoom across any content or app- whether it’s photos, text, email, web browsers, Google Maps, or camera. The issue first came to light when the device received the January 2021 security patch update and was running Android 11.
And it is still continuing with the October 2022 patch update when the device is running Android 13! With that said, there does exist a few nifty workarounds that should help you rectify this bug. So without further ado, let’s check them out.
Table of Contents
Fix Pinch to Zoom not working on Pixel 4A
It is recommended that you try out each of the below-mentioned workarounds and then see which one spells out success for you. So with that in mind, let’s get started.
FIX 1: Reboot to Safe Mode
In some instances, a third-party app or service might conflict with the normal functioning of your device. Therefore, you should consider booting your device to Safe mode so that all the third-party apps get disabled and then carry out the debugging process. here’s how it could be done:
- Long press the power button to bring up the Power menu.
- Then long tap on Restart to bring up the Safe Mode pop-up.
- Now tap OK and your device will boot to Safe Mode.
- Verify if the Pinch to Zoom is working on your Pixel 4A or not.
If the feature is working now, then the culprit is indeed a third-party app. So boot back to normal mode and then uninstall the recently installed apps after which the issue first came to light. This should rectify the bug.
FIX 2: Toggle Magnification
Next up, you should consider enabling and then disabling the Magnification Accessibiiy feature on your device and then check if it does any good. Here’s how:
- Head over to Settings > Accessibility > Magnification.
- Then enable the toggle next to Magnification Shortcut.
- You will now get a pink accessibility shortcut on your screen.
- Tap on it and the magnification will be active.
- Use it for a minute or two and then disable Magnification Shortcut.
- Check if Pinch to Zoom is working on your Pixel 4A or not.
FIX 3: Toggle “Touch and Hold Delay”
Yo should also consider stitching from the Short Touch and hold delay to Long and then reverting to Short. This will refresh its settings and could rectify the underlying issue as well. So refer to the below steps to give it a try:
- Head over to Settings > Accessibility > Timing Control.
- Then go to Touch and hold delay and select Long.
- Use your device for a couple of minutes.
- Then switch back to Short under Touch and hold delay.
- Check if it fixes Pinch to Zoom not working issue on Pixel 4A.
FIX 4: Toggle “Pinch to zoom conversation text”
If the pinch-to-zoom gesture is causing an issue or two with the messaging app, then you should consider disabling and then re-enabling its pinch gesture feature. here’s how it could be done:
- Launch the Messages app and tap on the overflow icon situated at the top right
- Then select Settings and go to General Settings.
- Now disable “Pinch to zoom conversation text”.
- Wait for a few seconds and then re-enable it.
- Check if it fixes Pinch to Zoom not working on Pixel 4A.
FIX 5: Switch to Three-Button Navigation
For some users, switching from gesture navigation to the traditional three-button style did the job for them. So give it a try using the below-given instructions and then check out the results:
- Head over to Settings > System > Gestures.
- Then go to System Navigation and select 3-button navigation.
- Check if it fixes Pinch to Zoom not working issue on Pixel 4A.
FIX 6: Update All Apps
Few users have reported that an older version of some apps was causing stability issues with the latest OS build. Upon updating all the apps to their latest version, the issue was rectified. So let’s give this fix a try and check out the results.
- Launch Play Store, tap on your profile, and select Manage apps and devices.
- Now tap on Update All under Updates Available and wait for the process to complete.
- Once done, check if it fixes Pinch to Zoom not working issue on Pixel 4A.
FIX 7: Carry out Camera Tweaks
In some cases, the buggy pinch-to-zoom gesture of the camera app ended up affecting the OS’s capability to perform this function. Therefore, you should try out the camera related, including the likes of force-stopping the camera app, disabling and re-enabling it, and deleting its cache and data. All this has been explained in this guide, do check it out: Fix Camera not working on Android 13 [13 Fixes].
FIX 8: Power off Trick
As strange as it may sound, but a couple of users did manage to fix this issue by performing a gesture when the device was switched off. Here’s how:
- First and foremost, turn off your device [do not plug in the charger either].
- Then zoom in to the edges of the screen and zoom out.
- Now restart your Pixel 4A and check if Pinch to Zoom is now working.
FIX 9: Reset your Device
In some instances, a corrupt data or configuration setting could also result in quite a few issues, including the one that we are currently dealing with. Therefore, you should consider resetting the device to the factory default state and then check out the results [take a data backup beforehand]
- Head over to Settings > System > Reset Options.
- Then tap on Erase All Data > Erase All Data.
- Wait for the reset to complete. Once done, set it up again.
- Now check if it fixes Pinch to Zoom not working issue on Pixel 4A.
FIX 10: Downgrade Pixel 4A to Android 10
If none of the aforementioned methods spelled out success, then your last course of action shud be to downgrade your device to Android 10 [this was the last build free from this bug]. However, do note that this process requires an unlocked bootloader, which will wipe off all the data from your device and could nullify its warranty as well. If that’s well and good, then do check out our guide on How to Downgrade Pixel Devices via Android Flash Tool OR How to Downgrade Pixel Devices via Fastboot Commands.
That’s it. These were the ten different methods that shall help you fix the issue of Pinch to Zoom not working on Google Pixel 4A. As far as the official stance on this matter is concerned, the developers are aware of this issue, but they haven’t given out any ETA for the rollout of a fix [well, if it hasn’t done anything for the past three years, then don’t expect them to act now either]. As and when that happens, we will update this guide accordingly. In the meantime, the aforementioned workarounds are your best bet.
Shaya
BH
Thank you so much for this article. Fix number six worked for me. I tried The earlier fixes, but to no avail. I then updated my apps and voila, zoom was back. Thanks again