Google blocked the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro benchmark apps before launch, but that’s not new.

Google’s Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro were released to the public a little over a week ago, but there was controversy surrounding the blocking of benchmark apps from the Play Store before launch.

Benchmark programs are often used by enthusiasts and reviewers to create a point of comparison between different smartphones, often focusing on CPU or GPU performance. However, before the launch of the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, some noticed that Google’s new phones don’t allow benchmarking apps like Geekbench to be installed through the Play Store.

This was highlighted by some on Twitter/X as well Check notebookwhich found Geekbench 6 and 3DMark flagged as incompatible with the Pixel 8 Pro in the Play Store (pictured below).

Completely blocking the installation of benchmarking apps is certainly a bold and unexpected move, but Google actually decided to go ahead with it.

In a statement to 9to5GoogleA Google spokesperson confirmed that yes, the benchmarking programs on the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro have been blocked before the general release. The purpose of this work was to “prevent” information disclosure, and Google intended to unblock these apps before the public had access to its new devices. Benchmark apps were also not blocked from running on the device (or modified, as we’ve seen on other brands), as they could be loaded manually.

Google’s statement also notes that this practice is actually nothing new and has been the case for the past few generations of Pixel smartphones before their general release (even before the introduction of Tensor in the Pixel 6, the company noted).

As in previous years, we blocked the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro benchmarks prior to launch to avoid revealing device benchmarks and specifications. These are unblocked before the phones are available to consumers. However, if reviewers want to try them out early for a review, they can put them on the phone.

Google spokesperson

Notably, when I benchmarked the Pixel 6 Pro, I couldn’t directly recall the Geekbench benchmark being blocked, one of the rare times our reviews included benchmark results. I found a couple of users reporting benchmark apps as being inconsistent on the Pixel 6a shortly after launch, as well as mentions of similar behavior on the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro by HardwareZone Last year

In any case, Google’s blocking of benchmark apps doesn’t appear to be a malicious play to avoid comparison, but rather a slip in the timing of an established procedure. Including benchmark results has also, in particular, been overlooked for review in many cases, which is probably why the practice has flown under the radar.

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