Pixel 6a Bluetooth HAL Dies... A Lot.

TheMevik96

Hello Forum,

I'm looking for some assistance with my Pixel 6a. I am running Android Version 16 (Build Number 2025081400). I have been having intermittent issues with my Bluetooth driver, that has also affected the WiFi and Hotspot functionality.

I first noticed the problem when I was using 5G regularly on my phone. Long story short, I am currently somewhere that T-Mobile 5G towers are in short supply. So, my phone would get very hot. This would cause the Bluetooth driver to quit. That was the first condition I noticed the driver would stop functioning, heat. Switching my data to LTE solved the temperature issue, but not the Bluetooth issue.

Flash forward a couple months and various updates abated the problem for a short time. However, now I cannot get the Bluetooth driver to work properly no matter how many updates or restarts I perform. Sometimes, the phone even boot loops for long periods of time (I'm not sure if these issues are correlated or not).

I am attaching a copy of the debug log for reference. I would appreciate any assistance with solving this issue.

type: crash
osVersion: google/bluejay/bluejay:16/BP2A.250705.008.A1/2025081400:user/release-keys
flags: dev options enabled
package: com.android.bluetooth:36, targetSdk 36
sharedUid: android.uid.bluetooth
process: com.android.bluetooth

signal 6 (SIGABRT), code -1 (SI_QUEUE), fault addr --------
Abort message: 'system/gd/hal/hci_backend_aidl.cc:76 operator(): The Bluetooth HAL died.'

backtrace:
      #00 pc 000000000007727c  /apex/com.android.runtime/lib64/bionic/libc.so (abort+156) (BuildId: 31925e1fc9d3c1ed63fabe9cc089b405)
      #01 pc 00000000008c5168  /apex/com.android.art/lib64/libart.so (art::Runtime::Abort(char const*)+472) (BuildId: 229ce263737eb16ebea3e4cc46779c65)
      #02 pc 0000000000015a50  /apex/com.android.art/lib64/libbase.so (android::base::SetAborter(std::__1::function<void (char const*)>&&)::$_0::__invoke(char const*)+80) (BuildId: b73969357868e2b4035dadfbd38b6039)
      #03 pc 0000000000ce54bc  /apex/com.android.bt/lib64/libbluetooth_jni.so (bluetooth::log_internal::vlog(bluetooth::log_internal::Level, char const*, bluetooth::log_internal::source_location, std::__1::basic_string_view<char, std::__1::char_traits<char>>, std::__1::basic_format_args<std::__1::basic_format_context<std::__1::back_insert_iterator<std::__1::__format::__output_buffer<char>>, char>>)+1228) (BuildId: 163e19f99d45623fdc6d318e60001ff3)
      #04 pc 0000000000b64074  /apex/com.android.bt/lib64/libbluetooth_jni.so (bluetooth::log::fatal(std::__1::basic_format_string<char>, bluetooth::log_internal::source_location)+68) (BuildId: 163e19f99d45623fdc6d318e60001ff3)
      #05 pc 0000000000b63f0c  /apex/com.android.bt/lib64/libbluetooth_jni.so (bluetooth::hal::AidlHci::AidlHci(char const*)::'lambda'(void*)::__invoke(void*)+108) (BuildId: 163e19f99d45623fdc6d318e60001ff3)
      #06 pc 00000000000180e0  /system/lib64/libbinder_ndk.so (AIBinder_DeathRecipient::TransferDeathRecipient::binderDied(android::wp<android::IBinder> const&)+64) (BuildId: d6dd7d882753545e326884703ccd2b56)
      #07 pc 0000000000054688  /system/lib64/libbinder.so (android::BpBinder::sendObituary()+376) (BuildId: 308a2fe02a72ae2f66b78f09dbfc2f67)
      #08 pc 00000000000498c0  /system/lib64/libbinder.so (android::IPCThreadState::executeCommand(int)+4304) (BuildId: 308a2fe02a72ae2f66b78f09dbfc2f67)
      #09 pc 0000000000051798  /system/lib64/libbinder.so (android::IPCThreadState::joinThreadPool(bool)+296) (BuildId: 308a2fe02a72ae2f66b78f09dbfc2f67)
      #10 pc 00000000000802f8  /system/lib64/libbinder.so (android::PoolThread::threadLoop()+24) (BuildId: 308a2fe02a72ae2f66b78f09dbfc2f67)
      #11 pc 0000000000017268  /system/lib64/libutils.so (android::Thread::_threadLoop(void*)+248) (BuildId: 99f3031f4dd2aa023b0df870e84ac088)
      #12 pc 0000000000129ddc  /system/lib64/libandroid_runtime.so (android::AndroidRuntime::javaThreadShell(void*)+140) (BuildId: a2eeb8f2b4d919d68335a04cb52ea04e)
      #13 pc 0000000000019994  /system/lib64/libutils.so (libutil_thread_trampoline(void*) (.__uniq.226528677032898775202282855395389835431)+20) (BuildId: 99f3031f4dd2aa023b0df870e84ac088)
      #14 pc 0000000000087c3c  /apex/com.android.runtime/lib64/bionic/libc.so (__pthread_start(void*)+236) (BuildId: 31925e1fc9d3c1ed63fabe9cc089b405)
      #15 pc 000000000007a200  /apex/com.android.runtime/lib64/bionic/libc.so (__start_thread+64) (BuildId: 31925e1fc9d3c1ed63fabe9cc089b405)

Thanks for your time,
Mevik

de0u

TheMevik96 Ado

I'm afraid that these symptoms are consistent with hardware failure.

Though it would be quite inconvenient since it would destroy the data on the device, you could try flashing it back to Google's stock OS. If Bluetooth still doesn't work then that would strongly implicate hardware failure.

Ado

Hello. I might be having a similar issue on Pixel 8. Nether Wi-Fi nor Bluetooth seem to work. Here is the error I get when trying to enable Bluetooth:

type: crash
osVersion: google/shiba/shiba:16/BP2A.250805.005/2025081400:user/release-keys
package: com.android.bluetooth:36, targetSdk 36
sharedUid: android.uid.bluetooth
process: com.android.bluetooth

signal 6 (SIGABRT), code -1 (SI_QUEUE), fault addr --------
Abort message: 'system/gd/hal/hci_backend_aidl.cc:76 operator(): The Bluetooth HAL died.'

backtrace:
      #00 pc 000000000007c270  /apex/com.android.runtime/lib64/bionic/libc.so (abort+160) (BuildId: e688446b48f00a577c82f6e36cac2c6e)
      #01 pc 00000000008d616c  /apex/com.android.art/lib64/libart.so (art::Runtime::Abort(char const*)+476) (BuildId: 185ca5f4a8dffbf0c2633a7f6e7c261c)
      #02 pc 0000000000016bb4  /apex/com.android.art/lib64/libbase.so (android::base::SetAborter(std::__1::function<void (char const*)>&&)::$_0::__invoke(char const*)+84) (BuildId: 34e8b07c5907e4174eeefd4a4b19d479)
      #03 pc 0000000000d3242c  /apex/com.android.bt/lib64/libbluetooth_jni.so (bluetooth::log_internal::vlog(bluetooth::log_internal::Level, char const*, bluetooth::log_internal::source_location, std::__1::basic_string_view<char, std::__1::char_traits<char>>, std::__1::basic_format_args<std::__1::basic_format_context<std::__1::back_insert_iterator<std::__1::__format::__output_buffer<char>>, char>>)+1228) (BuildId: 3a424e6bbb417033bf7866a8683a0471)
      #04 pc 0000000000ba2e8c  /apex/com.android.bt/lib64/libbluetooth_jni.so (bluetooth::log::fatal(std::__1::basic_format_string<char>, bluetooth::log_internal::source_location)+76) (BuildId: 3a424e6bbb417033bf7866a8683a0471)
      #05 pc 0000000000ba2cf4  /apex/com.android.bt/lib64/libbluetooth_jni.so (bluetooth::hal::AidlHci::AidlHci(char const*)::'lambda'(void*)::__invoke(void*)+116) (BuildId: 3a424e6bbb417033bf7866a8683a0471)
      #06 pc 000000000001b384  /system/lib64/libbinder_ndk.so (AIBinder_DeathRecipient::TransferDeathRecipient::binderDied(android::wp<android::IBinder> const&)+68) (BuildId: bfc3ea09cd0bdbbbfc6580c9435d1e43)
      #07 pc 00000000000587d0  /system/lib64/libbinder.so (android::BpBinder::sendObituary()+384) (BuildId: 227bfd6b656603710e305006a6b61d7a)
      #08 pc 000000000004d8c0  /system/lib64/libbinder.so (android::IPCThreadState::executeCommand(int)+4304) (BuildId: 227bfd6b656603710e305006a6b61d7a)
      #09 pc 0000000000055858  /system/lib64/libbinder.so (android::IPCThreadState::joinThreadPool(bool)+296) (BuildId: 227bfd6b656603710e305006a6b61d7a)
      #10 pc 0000000000084dcc  /system/lib64/libbinder.so (android::PoolThread::threadLoop()+28) (BuildId: 227bfd6b656603710e305006a6b61d7a)
      #11 pc 000000000001956c  /system/lib64/libutils.so (android::Thread::_threadLoop(void*)+252) (BuildId: 8708332b97701f7d01a4f87d703335f7)
      #12 pc 000000000012f4e0  /system/lib64/libandroid_runtime.so (android::AndroidRuntime::javaThreadShell(void*)+144) (BuildId: 7fb1461c05f963b4acc18c320d07fa13)
      #13 pc 000000000001bdb8  /system/lib64/libutils.so (libutil_thread_trampoline(void*) (.__uniq.226528677032898775202282855395389835431)+24) (BuildId: 8708332b97701f7d01a4f87d703335f7)
      #14 pc 000000000008e254  /apex/com.android.runtime/lib64/bionic/libc.so (__pthread_start(void*)+180) (BuildId: e688446b48f00a577c82f6e36cac2c6e)
      #15 pc 000000000007f9f4  /apex/com.android.runtime/lib64/bionic/libc.so (__start_thread+68) (BuildId: e688446b48f00a577c82f6e36cac2c6e)

I have tried a Wi-Fi/Bluetooth reset but it did not work.

The Device Wi-Fi MAC address is visible but the Bluetooth address is 'Unavailable'

Thanks, Adnan

TheMevik96

de0u
Hello,

Thank you for the reply. I will backup what I can and give it a shot. Will update upon completion.

Cheers,
Mevik