If you make a setup like the one below, then open the barrel, it will get pushed up by the piston and remain open until updated. I think it’s an issue across all devices, as well as multiple versions, although I can’t be 100% sure.
MCPE-158011
Creating open barrels
Resolved
Duplicate
0
Thank you for your report!
We're tracking this issue as MCPE-60125, so this ticket is being resolved and linked as a duplicate.
That ticket has already been resolved as Won't Fix, which means this is considered a bug but won't be fixed. The description of that ticket or the comments might explain the rationale. Please do not leave a comment on the linked ticket.
If you haven't already, you might like to make use of the search feature to see if the issue has already been mentioned.
Quick Links:
📓 Bug Tracker Guidelines – 💬 Community Support – 📧 Mojang Support
📓 Project Summary – ✍️ Feedback and Suggestions – 📖 Game Wiki