Pixel 11 Pro users report annoying crackling noises in videos

People who plunked down plenty of cash for the pricey Pixel 11 Pro are pretty unhappy that one or more of their AI features are plagued with a problem.

Users are complaining that there’s a very noticeable static noise in the videos they record. It’s unclear if the issue results when Video Boost is engaged, as spotted first by 9to5Google, or if it’s related to Audio Zoom.

Static sound affects concert footage

A user on Reddit posted a video in which you can see the visual improvements that Video Boost provides in a concert recording, but there are very noticeable crackling noises.

Based on further replies from the original poster, it seems that they also had Audio Zoom engaged.

Video Boost was introduced to Pro Pixels starting with the Pixel 8 Pro. It uses AI to improve video color, lighting, stabilization, and low-light detail.

Audio Zoom dynamically focuses the microphone on whatever a camera zooms in on, while simultaneously reducing background noise from other directions. It’s been on Pixels since the Pixel 5.

The features are exactly the sort that someone would use when capturing concert footage, making the bug particularly troublesome.

Unclear cause and temporary workarounds

The source of the issue is as unclear as the sound itself on some videos.

Many chimed in on the post, with some saying that changing the frame rate made a difference, but that was not necessarily the case for others in the thread.

The original poster had luck with their own fix of turning off Audio Zoom.

"I went in and cleared the cache on the camera app and turned off zoom audio,” they said. “No static on the videos tonight."

But another user had the crackling sound on their videos with just Video Boost and not Audio Zoom enabled, “Just wanted to add my experience, they wrote. “I have the Pixel 11 Pro XL. I get this exact audio issue in about half of my Video Boost videos. The audio zoom feature has been disabled the whole time (I don't like how it sounds when enabled).”

In an entirely different thread, someone posted on their first few days with the Pixel 11 Pro and among four complaints, they listed the same crackling noise, which they blamed on Audio Zoom.

“I recorded a few epic family videos, and when playing them back, there's this awful digital crackling noise in the audio,” they wrote. “I tested it and it seems to happen specifically when shooting in 4K at 60fps with Audio Zoom enabled. It’s super frustrating for once-in-a-lifetime moments. For now, the only workaround has been switching to 4K 30fps or using the Audio Magic Eraser to try and salvage the files.”