Update 5/7: Google has fixed this issue a month early. The fix can be found in the May security patch. Other OEMs will need to merge the fix.
The Google Pixel 2 and the Pixel 2 XL are included in the list of devices affected with a multi-touch bug in Android 8.1 Oreo. When two fingers are placed on the display, erratic touchscreen events are generated between the two fingers. The issue is prevalent in games, but it’s also visible in other apps such as Google Photos. Users who have experienced the touchscreen issues describe them as frustrating. What makes the situation worse is that it’s seemingly widespread, judging by the number of reports on the Google Issue Tracker page.
Last week, we showed you how rooted Pixel 2 users can flash a Magisk Module to fix the issue. XDA Senior Member Freak07 managed to compile the updated libraries (libinput and libinputflinger) against the latest April security patch builds for the Google Pixel 2 and the Pixel 2 XL. Therefore, rooted users of the Google devices can now easily fix this issue by installing the module. The steps to install the module have been detailed in our tutorial.
However, stock users have been left out of luck so far. Users of other devices also cannot flash the module to fix the touchscreen issues. Therefore, they have been waiting for Google to fix the issue in an update.
Now, Google has fixed the issue of the erratic multi-touch behavior on Android 8.1 Oreo. Commit number 640606 in AOSP has been merged as f0d877c. Its title states: “Fix resampling for multiple pointers.”
Multiple comments on the commit state that it fixes the bad touch resampling issue observed on several Android 8.1 devices, such as the Pixel 2 and the Razer Phone. One commentator on the commit states that he has observed no jumpy pointer movement on his Pixel 2 since applying the patch.
The bad news: The fix will not be part of the May security patch update. This is supposedly because the changes are locked down a month in advance. The time frame of the fix means that it will only arrive as a part of the June security patch update. This means that users of affected devices will have to wait two months, which is disappointing to see. Therefore, rooted Pixel 2 users are encouraged to flash the Magisk module to fix the issue now instead of waiting for the official fix to arrive in June.