10 ms·

Google Pixel 4a's old firmware is gone, trapping users on buggy battery update

315 points by bmaupin 2y ago

tripdout 2y ago
Has anyone gone through that firmware update and seen what changed? What exactly are they doing to improve battery performance/reliability? I would guess just down clocking the CPU or something.
bmaupin 2y ago
Google has finally pushed the source of the Pixel 4a battery update: https://android.googlesource.com/kernel/msm/+log/refs/heads/android-msm-sunfish-4.14-android13-qpr3 https://android.googlesource.com/kernel/msm/+log/refs/heads/...
hengheng 2y ago
I'm typing this on a 3a XL that just refuses to die. Google's valuation of that device in the Store is the same, but they haven't switched it off. Guess I got lucky.
rjbwork 2y ago
Am I the only one that had the immediate thought of "this seems intentional" when they read that they're offering the credit for a newer pixel?
- justinsaccount 2y ago
  > Google has acknowledged the mess and offered compensation: a free battery replacement, $50 cash, or $100 credit toward a new Pixel.
  - alt227 2y ago
    Yet when people have applied for this credit they either get no response, or told it will take several weeks (which is useless when they have just screwed your old phone)
- mottalli 2y ago
  I applied for the $100 credit more than a week ago but it is at Google's discretion, and I've never heard back from them. Even if they offer the credit, I'm not interested anymore and I'll never use a Google Pixel again.
- Zak 2y ago
  If a discount on a new Pixel was the only option, I'd suspect that. $50 cash is around 2/3 what a Pixel 4a goes for on Ebay.
- letwhile 2y ago
  No, this is obviously an illegal scam.
- wonger_ 2y ago
  Most believe that they're trying to prevent safety issues with overheating batteries. This update prevents the battery from being charged too much or too little.
  - ComputerGuru 2y ago
    Draining the battery from 100% to 0% in under an hour (as other commenters have mentioned) is the opposite of this, as that will necessarily dump a lot of heat.
    - traxys 2y ago
      Could be that the new 100% and 0% are something like the old 80% and 20%
    - gertlex 2y ago
      No, it's not actually draining the battery faster. It's setting low level limits on maximum and minimum charge levels. (and also the charge rate, further controlling heat issues) Some folks have hooked up devices between the phone and charge cable that do the coulomb counting (or similar), and (the one case I saw) showed that the phone is only taking in about 40% of the watt-hours that it was doing before the OTA update. From what I've seen, no one can point to any actual incidents with these phones being dangerously hot. But the google FAQ did have a "Yes you can still take the pixel 4a on flights", reminiscent of the samsung phone issue several years ago...
  - patall 2y ago
    If it is just that, they should have written so. Because what they wrote was that some devices may be affected from this optimization. Nothing general. And if this is really an issue, all those that now change to Lineage or Graphe will be an even bigger issue soon. Because in that case, Google knew, and did not say so. * Send from my now charging 4a
mottalli 2y ago
I received the email from Google notifying me of this "battery performance update" for my Pixel 4A which actually drains the battery faster, so it left me scratching my head wondering what a "performance update" is for Google. After the update, my battery was depleted at an alarming rate. I applied for the $100 voucher but I've never heard back from Google. So I decided to bite the bullet and moved to iPhone instead. Apple might not be the best, but this was the last straw for me.
- gertlex 2y ago
  I'm a weirdo who carries two pixel 4as. I'm also waiting for a response regarding the $100 voucher on one of my phones... My other one I took in for the free battery replacement, and that's doing OK. But yeah, I was planning to go for a Pixel 9 or 9a (when that's been out for a while), but this forcing of the hand by google is absolute BS, and the alternatives are unsatisfactory.
  - segasaturn 2y ago
    I recently ordered a Fairphone 5, imported from the UK. Stock Android experience, replaceable battery, SD card slot, unlocked bootloader and modding is encouraged. Its basically what the Pixel (Nexus) line was originally supposed to be.
- alt227 2y ago
  You dont remember batterygate then? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batterygate https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batterygate
  - jeromegv 2y ago
    It was the opposite, slowing down the processor to preserve the battery (when a battery was quite old).
  - zer0x4d 2y ago
    Lol this was the most blown out of proportion "gate" ever and a nothing burger really. The issue wasn't what Apple did, as it is a very common practice in the industry and I bet almost every other manufacturer did it too. The issue was that they didn't notify the user.
tocs3 2y ago
Would grapheneos (https://grapheneos.org/ https://grapheneos.org/) help with this? I am using a pixel 4a as a "house phone" so it is plugged in all the time but I wonder if I should upgrade.
- gertlex 2y ago
  In the sense that it was a perfectly good phone, and still works with e.g. various bank apps or whatever... and I got tired of jail-break/customization stuff of smart devices about a decade ago... the extra work to wipe everything and explore a new world of things that might turn out to be broken isn't what I'd consider a reasonable option. :/
  - gausswho 2y ago
    Things have come a long way. The GrapheneOS installation in particular is very straightforward. And most banks work just fine as apps, and if not via their website.
  - sifar 2y ago
    I use GrapheneOS on my pixel 4a ever since I got it a few years ago. Installation is straightforward and it is a best of both worlds - you can install and run android apps from the playstore in a sandbox.
    - gertlex 2y ago
      I have three... I should try this... but so many other projects :'(
- badmintonbaseba 2y ago
  > Since this is a major release, the Pixel 4a (5G) and Pixel 5 have not been ported to Android 14 QPR2 as part our initial release. We need to determine whether it makes sense to move these end-of-life devices to Android 14 QPR2 or keep them on a legacy extended support release branch based on the last Android 14 QPR1 release. https://grapheneos.org/releases#2024030600 https://grapheneos.org/releases#2024030600
unethical_ban 2y ago
Why don't they build a rollback "update" if they wiped the old firmware?
- izzydata 2y ago
  First they have to wait for the maximum number of people to buy new phones.
- gertlex 2y ago
  They as in google? This happened in a few stages: Rollout of the new release (Jan 8 or so; I got it maybe Jan 16?) Folks showed you could get the old update (I don't recall specifics) and block the OTA URLs (developer settings I think?) to prevent re-update. Google decided to make it harder to get the old firmware. I couldn't be arsed to wipe my phone, so am just living with the new shitty future for now.
zimbatm 2y ago
This needs more coverage. Perfectly good phones are getting thrown out because of a software update.
- deng 2y ago
  Google ended security updates for the Pixel 4a in August 2023, so running this as your daily driver was already problematic. Fortunately, LineageOS officially supports the 4a, and v22 (aka Android 15) was just released for it.
  - red_trumpet 2y ago
    That point is so weird: Why offer a "performance update" 1.5 years after the end of security updates?
    - bdndndndbve 2y ago
      Given the sudden urgency and pulling the old software, I'm assuming they're trying to avoid aging batteries exploding.
      - patall 2y ago
        But then they should indicate that. Which they don't.
        ikiris 2y ago
        They did as much as they would.
  - alistairSH 2y ago
    Isn't that just 3 years after release? Is that normal for Google phones? Yikes.
    - mananaysiempre 2y ago
quercusa 2y ago
My wife was affected by this. When she applied for the $100 credit, she was told it could take up to three weeks to get the credit form.
- netghost 2y ago
  Which is just awesome when your current phone is broken. I posted about it and they suggested that I keep a backup phone available at all times, thanks folks.
deng 2y ago
You can revert this if you unlock your bootloader: https://xdaforums.com/t/undo-the-january-2025-update-without-losing-data-unlocked-devices-only.4713980/ https://xdaforums.com/t/undo-the-january-2025-update-without... (EDIT: Just to be clear, and which is also mentioned in that post: unlocking the bootloader will reset the device. If your device is already unlocked though, you will be able to keep the data.) Of course, I would just advise to switch to LineageOS directly, since Google has stopped providing security updates for the Pixel 4a already in August 2023. I've run LineageOS for years on the Pixel 4a and it has worked pretty much perfectly for me: https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/sunfish/ https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/sunfish/ Android 15 (LineageOS 22) was just released for it.
- ianbooker 2y ago
  How is the photo quality? I love the pictures from the old 12MP sensor + Googles software, but I understand this is not in Lineage?
  - Zak 2y ago
    The Pixel camera app is available from the Play Store, and there are third-party ports of Gcam to other devices that offer extra configuration options. https://www.celsoazevedo.com/files/android/google-camera/ https://www.celsoazevedo.com/files/android/google-camera/
  - deng 2y ago
    Well, they are good enough for me, but to be honest, I'm not particularly picky... As said in a parallel post, you can get GCam in APK form (I run LineageOS without GApps) but I hear it's a bit trial&error to find one that works and I haven't bothered.
  - j1elo 2y ago
    I'd also be interested to know if a Google Camera app installed post-facto to LineageOS is compatible with the remote control & viewfinder of the Pixel Watch.
  - nunez 2y ago
matja 2y ago
Are these not the old images? : https://developers.google.com/android/images#bramble https://developers.google.com/android/images#bramble
- joombaga 2y ago
  Right page, wrong anchor. They removed all but the latest firmware for the "sunfish", i.e. the non-5g Pixel 4a. https://developers.google.com/android/images#sunfish https://developers.google.com/android/images#sunfish
  - jameshilliard 2y ago
    Yeah, it's archived at least here. https://web.archive.org/web/20231113025141if_/https://dl.google.com/dl/android/aosp/sunfish-tq3a.230805.001.s1-factory-82902ea9.zip https://web.archive.org/web/20231113025141if_/https://dl.goo...
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
Sateeshm 2y ago
Best phone I've ever used. Still going great after 4 years. Don't know how long it will last. There doesn't seem to be anything available with similar form factor.
- timerol 2y ago
  What makes the form factor better than others in the series? I'm curious since I've only owned a Pixel 3a and a Pixel 6a
  - Zak 2y ago
    No current phone from any manufacturer that's reasonably desirable is as small as the 4a, and few of any size have a headphone jack.
    - rolfvandekrol 2y ago
      Pixel 8a is fairly similar in size. Headphone jacks in phones are (sadly) gone forever i'm afraid.
      - Zak 2y ago
        The 8a is 3mm wider, 8mm taller, and 45g heavier. Perhaps that's not a huge difference, but I already consider the 4a too big. I will likely continue not upgrading as long as LineageOS and the hardware remain usable.
        jakub_g 2y ago
        FWIW I was on Pixel 3a until last month; bought Pixel 6 in the meantime, but it was too big and heavy to carry around, so I only used it as a "tablet", only at home. Just updated to Pixel 8 and it fits the hand very well (including Spigen Liquid Air cover), and doesn't feel too heavy. Have a few friends who got Pixel 8 last month on sale as well and they all confirm.
        dns_snek 2y ago
wonger_ 2y ago
It's frustrating. My phone went from 100% to 0% in under an hour. I could not rely on it for a typical workday. Thankfully my job does not require my personal phone, and thankfully the update happened on the weekend. Imagine seeing this Monday morning before work. Who has time to fiddle with firmware? And who has time to set up a new phone in the middle of a workweek, especially if you're switching to a non-Pixel phone? The small credit does not cover the cost of inconvenience.
stephaner 2y ago
Same problem here (a few hours of battery life and it's very slow to charge now). This update makes no sense at all, excepted if you want to force your users to buy a new phone. For me, it should be a RED flag on the Pixel lineup and on the confidence in Google. I filled https://www.stopobsolescence.org/ https://www.stopobsolescence.org/.
- b112 2y ago
  Just bought a pixel 9 pro fold. I am now returning it. Tricks like this mean I won't be a customer.
  - deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]
sacckey 2y ago
This reminded me of when my Nexus 5X went into a boot loop.
- starkparker 2y ago
  This reminds me of when Google's last update to the 2012 wi-fi Nexus 7 botched its TRIM implementation, which made everyone think its shitty eMMC was to blame. I held onto mine sort of as a joke for more than a decade. I only just found out a month ago that the Android update caused its performance to tank, then put LineageOS on it, and was shocked to find that 13-year-old tablet was not only still usable but actually kinda good.
- NeveHanter 2y ago
  Yeah, mine did the same and later died completely, and only now I found that the LG was refunding the full price of phones or fixing them for free if they had this specific HW issue...
fumeux_fume 2y ago
My spouse had to buy a new phone because of this issue. Neither of us got any notification about the battery issue. Even if we did, what Google is offering here isn't great. We tried to get the battery replaced, but was told that the process could likely break the screen and jack up the cost to nearly the original purchase price. Sending the phone in for repair also isn't a good solution because she needs it for auth at work. What a mess.
MaximilianEmel 2y ago
See also: https://wiki.rossmanngroup.com/wiki/Pixel_4a_Battery_Performance_Program https://wiki.rossmanngroup.com/wiki/Pixel_4a_Battery_Perform...
pkaye 2y ago
My spouse and I have the same situation but strangely but my phone seems much better while my spouse's phone drains very quickly. We just took it in for a battery replacement at the Google store and should be picking it up soon.
j1elo 2y ago
I'm (we all are) constantly reminded to update our phones to latest available updates, but sh*t like this is what teaches users to instead disable and ignore updates indefinitely, under the premise of "if it works don't touch it" (addendum: "... because most probably an update will break it") And here I am, ignoring updates on my Pixel 6a since October 2024 (there were reports of crashes or bricking, what a surprise) and planning to keep doing that for the foreseeable future. Sucks having to choose between a potentially (even likely, seeing the trend) broken device or an unsecured one. Pick your poison.
- OsrsNeedsf2P 2y ago
  Google 4a user here. They pushed an update while I was on a ski trip in Korea - I updated an hour before getting on my bus and.. the application launcher started crashing on unlock. I couldn't open any apps. Thankfully, I was able to get into the settings and switch to Lawnchair without a working "desktop UI", but without a second application launcher I would have been totally screwed. I checked the Play Store afterwards and saw hundreds of people with the same issue. On Linux I can choose which "security" updates to install, and only install those. Why can't Windows and Android provide such a feature?
  - TonyTrapp 2y ago
    Stuff like this is why I keep printing entrance tickets and the like. I don't want to end up in a situation where I have to trust software that is known to have new bugs every months to get into a place without any sort of backup.
    - sidewndr46 2y ago
      This works until you start attending events that require you to present your cell phone for entrance
      - encom 2y ago
        What? For what purpose? I've never heard of or encountered this.
zitterbewegung 2y ago
I've been running GraphiteOS on my Pixel 4a (it is a backup phone) and obviously it doesn't have the battery update but I can attest that it works great with it.
lnauta 2y ago
My pixel 4a lasted about 3 hours before the update, now its about an hour. Even with the discount in the store, it was cheaper to get the pixel 8a and some cash from a local vendor. The ticket to get the reimbursement went surprisingly fast, still waiting on money though. Yesterday I got my new 8a, installed grapheneos and it works very well! So far no massive issues. When I tried this on the 4a some years ago, netflix complained about general certificate stuff and casting was broken, microG et al was barely holding on. Now, no problems at all!
netghost 2y ago
This destroyed my phone, and their appeasement process was terrible too. There was no way for me to find out whether there was a supported repair shop nearby, the $50 cash was apparently through a very dodgy company, and then $100 google store credit didn't disclose that it's "upon review within three weeks" until after you irrevocably chose the option. The whole thing is ridiculous and poorly handled. Sadly, if my phone had just cracked or failed to turn on, I'd probably have upgraded happily and moved on with my life. As it is, now I feel like something was taken from me. So it goes
- chasil 2y ago
  Here is a map of the stores: https://images.ctfassets.net/d9ybqgejqp0w/7hP2z3Oyn8xH4TvFJtprIT/3f2991ed35f1f564708ae8d6aaa3ecf7/store-locator-feature-image.png?fm=webp&q=65 https://images.ctfassets.net/d9ybqgejqp0w/7hP2z3Oyn8xH4TvFJt... You can schedule an appointment here: https://asurion.com https://asurion.com A retired coworker got a 4a off eBay two years ago, and it's eligible for a free battery replacement.
- s4i 2y ago
  I was a Nexus/Pixel user for 10+ years. Majority of the phones I owned during that time had some quirks or issues. The worst examples were Nexus 5X and Pixel 5 – both just suddenly froze one day, shut down, and never turned back on again. After that Pixel 5 surprise I grudgingly switched to iPhone 12 mini. I still think Google’s Android UI is the best one out there for me, and I despise a lot in the iPhone UX (such as the keyboard) but I just need a phone that works and I can get repaired or replaced easily if I need to. At least in Finland, Google’s customer service has been abysmal over the years.
- malfist 2y ago
  Ars reporting says the $50 cash option's vendor charges a $30 annual fee if you don't close your account after getting paid.
chabad360 2y ago
Speaking as a Pixel 4a customer with this update: I received the update, and like everyone else, my phone battery started draining incredibly quickly. However, after getting the free battery replacement, my phone's battery has returned to draining as normal (and on the plus side, has somewhat renewed the life of this phone).
- kpeeters 2y ago
  Ditto. Replaced battery, phone is as new.
- snovymgodym 2y ago
  I'm glad it worked out for you. The problem is, the Pixel 4a is not designed to have the battery be swapped and it's common to break screens and other parts of the phone in the process. You can look up what's involved and it's no surprise that this is the case. It's basically a nice little case of hardware and software anti-consumer policies working together to break people's devices and force them to consume more. Without legislation nothing will change.
  - snailmailstare 2y ago
    I think the EU is fixing it for the pixel 11a and up.
rwoerz 2y ago
I wonder why these "forced updates till kaputt" do not fall under (malicious) property damage. It is not just Google: My Amazon Kindle gets less and less responsive the last years without any noteworthy functional improvements. Same for the Firestick.
wobfan 2y ago
There's a nice video about this from Louis Rossmann [1] that talks about this in detail and tries to find some reasons for it, and he seems to suggest that the update was never about improving the battery life as in getting more usage per charge out of the battery, but improving it as in limiting the battery full charge capacity to minimize potential problems with it, because he (and others) assume that they identified bad batches and are trying to fix potential problems with them by limiting it. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xboo6sV-cJU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xboo6sV-cJU
- NotPractical 2y ago
  If you prefer reading over watching (thanks @MaximilianEmel): https://wiki.rossmanngroup.com/wiki/Pixel_4a_Battery_Performance_Program https://wiki.rossmanngroup.com/wiki/Pixel_4a_Battery_Perform...
- tonymet 2y ago
  He's a great advocate for right-to-repair . we have a crisis that few people are concerned about.
donclark 2y ago
I resolved this problem on my Pixel 4a by installing graphene OS. YMMV.
- klaff 2y ago
  Did you install GrapheneOS before or after the problematic update from google?
  - donclark 2y ago
    After the update from Google, my 4a did not seem to hold a charge like it did before. I read the reviews/risks and thought that my easiest options were to either roll-back the OS update, or finally give GrapheneOS a try.
    - klaff 2y ago
      ty
sega_sai 2y ago
I've updated a couple of weeks ago, but I already had a battery replaced last year, so I didn't notice anything untoward with the charge. I did however start to have a vertical green line on the screen that appears for a while, then disappears for a while. (it is possible the line is just a coincidence and an unrelated screen defect).
- rjmorris 2y ago
  You were lucky. Lots of people who recently had their battery replaced (before the update was announced) were affected by this.
nunez 2y ago
wow. i was actually considering getting a 4a as the lynchpin for my move back to Android (as no small Android phones exist anymore). anyway, iPhone 13 Mini until it dissolves into dust.
OliveMate 2y ago
Hi, (soon to be ex) Pixel 4a user here. Regardless of why this update has happened, the way Google have went about this update is sketchy at best, and deceitful at worst. To be plain: this phone has been EOL for 1½ years now. This update has appeared out of the blue and specifically decimates the battery + charging capabilities. My most charitable view is that Google have found a major fault with the Pixel 4a battery and want to mitigate a repeat of the Galaxy Note 7 without saying it outright and causing a panic. My least charitable view (and immediate reaction) is that they're purposely ruining a viable budget phone to make more sales. Either of these are terrible. At no point has Google came out and stated -why- they're pushing this update in the first place. And as someone who hasn't updated I'd really like to know if my phone presents an immediate threat (and I'm sure Governments and airlines would also like to know) before I remotely consider an update that'll practically destroy my device. On top of this, within a day of being notified about this update, Google drastically raised the price of new Pixels on their store. Again if I'm charitable it could just be automatic global market price updates, but that goes out the window when Google must have prepared this update, FAQs, support plans, etc, then released it just before said price updates. The $100 discount recourse doesn't go far when the 8a jumped from £379 to £499. It's hard not to feel suspicious about it. While I'm here, I did briefly write about my experiences with the 4a, though I'm far from a competent tech writer: https://callmeo.live/blog/ode-to-the-pixel-4a/ https://callmeo.live/blog/ode-to-the-pixel-4a/
- Suppafly 2y ago
  >My least charitable view (and immediate reaction) is that they're purposely ruining a viable budget phone to make more sales. My wife was using a pixel 4 until last year and upgraded to a 7, I took her old phone and switched it over to my info and used it for like 2 days before it got a random update and refused to ever work again. Her 7 just got an update a couple of days ago and the battery went dead and it refused to boot until it'd been plugged in for an hour and then would only boot into recovery mode before finally returning to normal. I think google just has something really screwed up with their update process.
  - Rastonbury 2y ago
ptspts 2y ago
Is it possible to decline this update on the UI of an internet-connected Pixel 4a? Mine has already updated, and I'm wondering if I had a chance to say no.
- KORraN 2y ago
  I'm getting prompts to restart in order to update. So far (~2 weeks), I was able to dismiss them.
AcerbicZero 2y ago
As soon as they dropped the Nexus line, things went downhill fast. IMO the nexus 5 was peak android.
- clircle 2y ago
  Concur, switched to iPhone around this time, as Android just started to feel like a knock off iOS rather than an alternative.
  - nixosbestos 2y ago
    I'm sorry, but what? iOS and Android couldn't be more different, and if anything iOS has converged toward Android. Meanwhile my friend that likes to act smug about iOS has all but given up the gambit. My Pixel 9 Pro takes far better pictures, gets same or better battery life, and can crazy things like upload or download photos to Lightroom without needing to manually keep the screen on. Or you know, background tasks in general.
- toast0 2y ago
  The nexus 5x had a major bootlooping issue.
bmaupin 2y ago
I'm trying to figure out what the actual latest update is doing regarding the battery. I found an update to the kernel binary but it doesn't seem the source has been updated. Can I submit a GPL request to Google to get the kernel source? https://github.com/bmaupin/pixel4a-battery-research https://github.com/bmaupin/pixel4a-battery-research
- kam 2y ago
  I also looked around AOSP and found the commit for the battery alert icon [1], but no kernel source. [1] https://android.googlesource.com/platform/frameworks/base/+/2220fa67b2e403e886d0a70416ad2bbd1d0f7484%5E%21/ https://android.googlesource.com/platform/frameworks/base/+/...
- jeroenhd 2y ago
  If you own a device, you're entitled to a copy of all GPL software that came with it, including some build tools. However, if the diminished battery performance comes from some kind of firmware update for an embedded microcontroller, you're probably out of luck there, unless that controller also runs GPL software. It's possible the changes you're looking for are already listed on one of these repos: https://android.googlesource.com/device/google/sunfish-sepolicy/ https://android.googlesource.com/device/google/sunfish-sepol... https://android.googlesource.com/device/google/sunfish-kernel/ https://android.googlesource.com/device/google/sunfish-kerne... https://android.googlesource.com/device/google/sunfish/ https://android.googlesource.com/device/google/sunfish/ (sunfish is the codename for the Pixel 4a)
  - bmaupin 2y ago
    I looked through all the sunfish repos first, which is how I found this: https://android.googlesource.com/device/google/sunfish-kernel/+/f0e5311ad616d4c3c7a7d4580d330bb33a958cd4 https://android.googlesource.com/device/google/sunfish-kerne... But apparently sunfish-kernel only contains binaries. Given there's an update to Image.lz4, that seems there's an update to the kernel. I also compared the binary to the previous version and found some new strings possibly related to battery charging profile. Next I checked out the source using Google's documentation but the latest commit is here: https://android.googlesource.com/kernel/msm/+/refs/heads/android-msm-sunfish-4.14-android13-qpr3 https://android.googlesource.com/kernel/msm/+/refs/heads/and... But maybe I'm looking in the wrong place.
tomerbd 2y ago
no more unlimited photos upload for you.
delfinom 2y ago
Hopefully people opted out of the binding arbitration for the phone so they can join a class action, right? Lol, I opt out on every new pixel phone
debo_ 2y ago
If it helps, I ran my 3a on Pixel Experience up until ~6 months ago, and it worked great. It's like having the exact same phone with extended upgrades. I gave it away to someone who needed it more and upgraded to an 8a. My mission with this phone is to use it for 10 years.
Shekelphile 2y ago
I am surprised there are even any functioning 4a's left to begin with. Google intentionally designs major components of these phones to break within a year or two of normal use, like using extremely cheap NAND that fails commonly, bricking the phone.
nickpinkston 2y ago
I've had software bugs / issues with various Pixel phones (original, 4, 6, now 7) for years, and I'm unsure why I'm such a masochist. Anyone else have this problem? Is it well known?
framtidsljus 2y ago
Another Pixel 4A user here. Still haven't installed the marvelous update. But it'll be installed the next time I reboot. No way to stop it. I have never had any battery issues. Now Google wants to effectively brick my beloved phone? And giving me $50 for the trouble. What. The. F. is going on. I've requested the $50, shall be paid out within 18 days they say. So sad. I really like (soon liked, probably) my 4a.
yread 2y ago
I was in the market and wanted to go for Pixel8 pro. This charade turned me completely anti-google and I'm not even considering it even though camera is the most important attribute of the phone for me.
zargon 2y ago
Does/will GrapheneOS ship this new firmware? My Pixel 4a needed a new battery. I ordered the kit from ifixit, but was worried about possibly breaking the screen during replacement and being without a phone. So I bought a used iPhone XS to try out Apple-land. My plan was to put GrapheneOS on the Pixel 4a and decide eventually if my next phone would be a new Pixel with GrapheneOS or a new iPhone. Since then this whole debacle has unfolded. GrapheneOS's installation instructions say that it updates the phone's firmware to the latest early in the installation process. GrapheneOS's releases page has a "2025012701" release for Pixel 4a. But the release notes don't have any mention of Pixel 4a since version 2023100300. I'm trying to figure out if GrapheneOS has actually updated their Pixel 4a image since then, and whether it would install the battery breaking firmware.
jerome-jh 2y ago
Contrary to was is said in the article, the 50$/100$ compensation was announced shortly before the update. It is no compensation for the mess they caused. I still have not restarted my phone since the update. But my wife has and her phone does not hold charge for a day, compared to 48h before the update. Battery percentage gone completely unreliable. She's only doing slow charges since then in an attempt to have battery management chip somehow recover. Hard to see what they tried to "fix"
Halan 2y ago
I am done suggesting pixel phones to my family elders. Refurbished iPhones is the way to go
roesel 2y ago
The pixel 4a battery life saga was what made both me and my entire extended family never even consider buying a pixel phone again (and move to Samsung or iPhones). Google denied the issues existed forever, then shipped a fix that somehow made them even worse, and made the phone unusable for years. I hope we were not the only ones.
- isaacremuant 2y ago
  Samsung with Nova Launcher is pretty usable. It has its annoying quirks but probably closer to your old experience than a full iPhone switch.
zer0x4d 2y ago
Has there been a single Pixel with no boot loop, battery, reception, or otherwise some other major issue? What is going on at the Pixel team??? They have probably single handedly cost Google millions of dollars
computehyper 2y ago
I'm semi homeless and the forced Pixel 4a battery update made my phone unusable and I'm in a state of tears. What can I do? Reddit deleted my post (I am hoping it's not because of Google employees) I don't want to get too long into what happened in my life, but I had a Pixel 4a and everything was running great. Even when I was on the streets homeless I was able to charge it. I'm still struggling in and out, and apparently there was an update that came automatically to my phone. I checked and talked to live support in the library and they said it was just a battery update and it will last a bit less. That wasn't a big deal I thought but now the update came and my battery went from many hours to maybe half an hour now and doesn't charge at all or very slowly. I have interviews and some other small jobs that I have to do and just hard life right now and I do not have any money for this. I am a bit emotional so I asked while tearing up to Google support why they did this and I can't afford this my life is in shambles but they didn't help me. Even with the battery replacement I do not live near any local shops and mailing it in would not be possible for my situation. I bought this phone when my life was good and I only like this one and want to use this one. All my stuff is on here and I don't know too much about phones so I just want this to work. I don't have money to fix this. I feel like the phone will die any second. What can be done? I didn't know they would do this. My life just keeps getting worse... I always feared my phone getting stolen on the streets but never thought Google would steal my phone. What can I do? I don't have much minutes or data and can't afford it, is there a number I can call Google directly? I don't want to play with the phone and do anything weird my life is on it and can't back it up. Thank you all.
- aucisson_masque 2y ago
  Get a cheap flip phone to receive call and make them. When you got enough money, buy a phone. Not Google's one obviously. And transfer everything from the pixel to the new. Keep the pixel for the incoming lawsuit.
ChrisArchitect 2y ago
I'm semi homeless and Google's forced update on the Pixel 4a ruined it https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42871613 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42871613
nickjj 2y ago
I have a Google Pixel 4a and planned to use the phone until it physically no longer worked. I loved it, especially with its wired headphone jack and small size. It has worked for 3+ years and held a charge for 2-3 days easily until the other week when they pushed the battery patch. Now it dies in a few hours with light usage. I asked Google support on what will happen if I get a battery replacement and it's still draining fast. They won't answer. Google reps at a repair center said a battery replacement is unlikely to fix the drain issue since the drain behavior is attached to an OS update you can't opt out of. This is really frustrating to be ignored by Google after they essentially bricked a fully working device that I paid for. This is a type of move where I'm tempted to de-Google myself over this, including deleting my YouTube channel with 20k subs that I've been regularly posting to for almost a decade. My whole business (selling courses and contract work) depends on SEO from Google and YouTube and I'm close to saying fuck it and destroying all of that out of principle on how poorly they are treating folks over this issue. I haven't made that decision yet but it's close to be honest. Close enough that I'm openly posting this message.
tristor 2y ago
Stuff like this is part of why I stick with iPhone. The Pixel 4A stopped receiving security updates just 3 years after release, and rather than being direct about what battery changes were made and providing reasonable pathways for people to replace batteries, this happens. Apple does stupid and shady stuff too, it is certainly not perfect, but Google has always had a cultural attitude permeating their organization since the beginning that wanted to avoid doing any sort of real customer support, and preferenced boxing customers into something kafkaesque over doing the right thing. For all the dumb shit Apple has done, I can walk into any Apple Store and talk to a person and get my problem resolved for a nominal fee (if any), their devices get 5+ years of security updates (usually closer to 7 years) and I upgrade before that ends anyway for other reasons (typically about every 4-5 years), in the interim my device "just works". I've effectively never had a problem with an Apple device since I've switched. I was an early adopter of Android, made my own customer ROMs and shared them on XDA Developers Forum, and otherwise was big on Android, but it became really clear to me very quickly that the app ecosystem is a mess (security and otherwise), the core OS has huge privacy and functional design issues, and Google as a steward and a first-party handset manufacturer is not the company you want to do business with. This really sucks for everyone impacted, and I understand why many many people (including my wife) choose to stay on Android, but you should really give some thought to this. What do you /actually/ do every day with your phone, and what would better serve you? As someone who wants to spend as little time on my phone as possible, and I use it as a tool, that needs to actually work when I need it, and I travel often, iPhone is clearly a more reliable choice.
- hayd 2y ago
  I just wish they had a smaller offering than the SE. (But seemingly this is the case for everyone nowadays.)
  - nyarlathotep_ 2y ago
    Hanging on to my 12 mini for that reason.
- izacus 2y ago
  Apple literally did the exact same thing with limiting battery limits on iPhone 6 and got sued for it. C'mon.
brailsafe 2y ago
Can we get some unrelated coverage going for Google's persistent failure to fix their "show trending searches" toggle!? It doesn't work even on newer devices; there's no way to turn off trending search suggestions and search history at the same time. I just want to search, I don't need to know who got killed in Florida or what Trump said. It's there in the settings, but it doesn't work.
hnburnsy 2y ago
Google destroyed the battery on the Fitbit Charge 5 with an update that apparently could not be rolled back or reset. Never admitted fault, never said what the issue was, and very little was offered to affected users. Vowed to never buy Google hardware again... https://www.androidcentral.com/wearables/fitbit-charge-5-battery-drain-and-black-screen-issues https://www.androidcentral.com/wearables/fitbit-charge-5-bat...
isaacremuant 2y ago
After Google Pixel 3 Google went really anti consumer in so many fronts that switching out of it was a no brainer and while you can be tempted by the latest shiny, their level of contempt for their core customers just keeps surfacing. They're too big to care and will keep doing it until people vote with their wallets en masse, for a sufficient amount of time.
madduci 2y ago
There's one way to get off: move to Lineage OS or postmarketOS and enjoy the device further
maxglute 2y ago
Qualified and applied for the cash but it's been a couple weeks and never came. Would have settled for a couple years of Youtube premium.
izacus 2y ago
marcan@ took a look at this update here: https://social.treehouse.systems/@marcan/113914172433692339 https://social.treehouse.systems/@marcan/113914172433692339 It seems like it limits max charge voltage on one exact model of the battery to much lower limit. I bet there's a reason for it and reverting the change most likely isn't the smartest for safety. What I don't get is why Google just doesn't come out and say it.
Aissen 2y ago
Note that Google has publicly announced that the software update would reduce the battery capacity of some devices, at the beginning of the month: > For some devices (“Impacted Devices”), the software update reduces available battery capacity and impacts charging performance. https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/15701861?hl=en&sjid=10565134194755877440-EU https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/15701861?hl=en&... More details in marcan's reverse engineering of the closed-source update: https://social.treehouse.systems/@marcan/113914172433692339 https://social.treehouse.systems/@marcan/113914172433692339
- tetris11 2y ago
  > You can tell which battery you have physically by the number next to the QR code. 8230015901 is ATL (good) and 8230020501 is LSN (bad). If you're replacing your battery, make sure it's ATL. Where do I find this info on my phone?
  - bmaupin 2y ago
    You can run this: adb shell cat /sys/class/power_supply/battery/serial_number Requires adb: https://developer.android.com/tools/adb https://developer.android.com/tools/adb
    - tetris11 2y ago
      Merci! Yep looks like my phone is affected. I guess using lineage means it's safe?
      - Aissen 2y ago
        It means you should try to get your 120€/$100 voucher or free battery replacement :-)
cultofmetatron 2y ago
used to be a long time pixel user. I had a pixel 2, 3 and 4a. 1. first one suddenly started bootlooping out of nowhere 2. second one's battery suddenly expanded out of nowhere and couldn't hold a charge more than 10 min 3. thrid one's battery started failing and woudln't turn on unless I plugged it into an external battery bank. Sll 3 times while I was abroad and they are almost IMPOSSIBLE to get repaired. they use all csutom parts so none of teh repair shops were famiilar with them. google wouldn't do a thing till I came back to the united states to get the repairs done. After 3 of these pieces of shit, I switched to an iphone. It just works. I've had zero issues with it and at least apple care won't force me to buy a ticket back to the states just to replace it.
neumann 2y ago
For me this update stopped the sim card being recognized. Phone was a few months old, having bought a new from HK when I went traveling. Last decent sized pixel and it was so light.
bcraven 2y ago
Farewell to the last sensibly-sized Pixel phone. I have been forced to the 8a, which sadly feels far too heavy and breakable compared to the simple beauty of the 4a.
- amyjess 2y ago
  I'd recommend going with Sony nowadays. The Xperia 10 series especially is a lot like a 4a.
  - mnsc 2y ago
    Sony are giving up on the compact flagship 5 series because "People are no longer interested in compact phones and would rather go for a large one if it offers the same benefits". And unfortunately the specs of the Xperia 10 just doesn't cut it for me. :(
    - jamesfinlayson 2y ago
      Ugh, pockets aren't getting bigger. Buying my last phone was a real challenge - even 6.5 inches long feels huge, and there were very few options under 7 inches.
      - mnsc 2y ago
        Funny enough I found some old pants that still fit, ~20y old, and those pockets does not fit a modern phone. But I remember my Nokia 6210 being just the right size for them.
        jamesfinlayson 2y ago
        Sounds about right. I remember around 15 years ago a family member got a new phone and I thought it was laughably big. Probably smaller than what I'm currently using in retrospect.
terramars 2y ago
if this is due to that specific manufacturer having battery fires, i don't hate it as it seems like the battery replacement option is basically the same as a recall. completely different from a random bug causing it or an across-the-board EOL update. pixel longevity isn't great, but at least they're relatively easy to maintain and the device protection program is acceptable.
- refulgentis 2y ago
  I guess even if we didn't hate it, it'd be nice if they said that, so people knew that it's not a buggy update, but rather, they have a ticking time bomb in their pants pocket.
Wehrdo 2y ago
Sounds like the Lishen batteries might have a safety issue when charged fully. Not sure why else they would limit the charge on them. At least they're offering free replacement or cash payment.
userbinator 2y ago
Have the battery replaced for free at a walk-in center in the US, Canada, UK, Germany, Singapore, or India or take advantage of a mail-in repair program (US-only). Whatever else you think about Google, I think you'd agree that is a much better response than what Apple did.
- chomp 2y ago
  My battery wasn’t cut in half on iPhone, the duration improved
- woodson 2y ago
  What if you bought it in another country? (Directly from Google’s pixel store in that country.) Out of luck, that’s what.
  - mixedCase 2y ago
    The article indicates these are also options: 2) Request a $100 Google Store credit that you can put toward the purchase of another Pixel phone or other hardware. 3) Request a $50 cash payment.
- slavik81 2y ago
  My Pixel 4a won't turn on. I wonder if this might fix that problem. I guess it's worth a shot.
  - polka_haunts_us 2y ago
    My dad and I both bought a 4a (5G) at the same time, ours both died within a week of each other. With mine at least I know the issue was that it just stopped charging entirely, no cable plugged in would fix it. Unfortunately, the 5G variation doesn't appear to be part of this program.
- scarface_74 2y ago
  What exactly did Apple “do”?
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
01100011 2y ago
In other news: https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/30/google-issues-voluntary-exit-program-for-android-chrome-and-pixel-employees/?guccounter=1 https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/30/google-issues-voluntary-ex...
thegrim33 2y ago
HN headline is misleading - it reduces battery life for some 4a users, not all 4a users, and anybody that is affected (and they have a procedure to verify whether you're affected) can get a free battery replacement, fixing the problem, or alternatively, cash.
- dang 2y ago
  (This was originally posted to https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42884803 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42884803, where the headline is different. We merged that thread hither)
nfriedly 2y ago
I'd be interested in acquiring a Pixel 4a from someone who doesn't want theirs anymore. I replaced the battery in my Pixel 2 myself - it was a bit of work but not too bad overall (it's probably not waterproof anymore, though). nathan@[hn username].com

315 points by bmaupin 2y ago

Has anyone gone through that firmware update and seen what changed? What exactly are they doing to improve battery performance/reliability? I would guess just down clocking the CPU or something.

bmaupin 2y ago

Google has finally pushed the source of the Pixel 4a battery update: https://android.googlesource.com/kernel/msm/+log/refs/heads/android-msm-sunfish-4.14-android13-qpr3 https://android.googlesource.com/kernel/msm/+log/refs/heads/...

hengheng 2y ago

I'm typing this on a 3a XL that just refuses to die. Google's valuation of that device in the Store is the same, but they haven't switched it off. Guess I got lucky.

rjbwork 2y ago

Am I the only one that had the immediate thought of "this seems intentional" when they read that they're offering the credit for a newer pixel?

justinsaccount 2y ago
> Google has acknowledged the mess and offered compensation: a free battery replacement, $50 cash, or $100 credit toward a new Pixel.
- alt227 2y ago
  Yet when people have applied for this credit they either get no response, or told it will take several weeks (which is useless when they have just screwed your old phone)
mottalli 2y ago
I applied for the $100 credit more than a week ago but it is at Google's discretion, and I've never heard back from them. Even if they offer the credit, I'm not interested anymore and I'll never use a Google Pixel again.
Zak 2y ago
If a discount on a new Pixel was the only option, I'd suspect that. $50 cash is around 2/3 what a Pixel 4a goes for on Ebay.
letwhile 2y ago
No, this is obviously an illegal scam.
wonger_ 2y ago
Most believe that they're trying to prevent safety issues with overheating batteries. This update prevents the battery from being charged too much or too little.
- ComputerGuru 2y ago
  Draining the battery from 100% to 0% in under an hour (as other commenters have mentioned) is the opposite of this, as that will necessarily dump a lot of heat.
  - traxys 2y ago
    Could be that the new 100% and 0% are something like the old 80% and 20%
  - gertlex 2y ago
    No, it's not actually draining the battery faster. It's setting low level limits on maximum and minimum charge levels. (and also the charge rate, further controlling heat issues) Some folks have hooked up devices between the phone and charge cable that do the coulomb counting (or similar), and (the one case I saw) showed that the phone is only taking in about 40% of the watt-hours that it was doing before the OTA update. From what I've seen, no one can point to any actual incidents with these phones being dangerously hot. But the google FAQ did have a "Yes you can still take the pixel 4a on flights", reminiscent of the samsung phone issue several years ago...
- patall 2y ago
  If it is just that, they should have written so. Because what they wrote was that some devices may be affected from this optimization. Nothing general. And if this is really an issue, all those that now change to Lineage or Graphe will be an even bigger issue soon. Because in that case, Google knew, and did not say so. * Send from my now charging 4a

mottalli 2y ago

I received the email from Google notifying me of this "battery performance update" for my Pixel 4A which actually drains the battery faster, so it left me scratching my head wondering what a "performance update" is for Google. After the update, my battery was depleted at an alarming rate. I applied for the $100 voucher but I've never heard back from Google. So I decided to bite the bullet and moved to iPhone instead. Apple might not be the best, but this was the last straw for me.

gertlex 2y ago
I'm a weirdo who carries two pixel 4as. I'm also waiting for a response regarding the $100 voucher on one of my phones... My other one I took in for the free battery replacement, and that's doing OK. But yeah, I was planning to go for a Pixel 9 or 9a (when that's been out for a while), but this forcing of the hand by google is absolute BS, and the alternatives are unsatisfactory.
- segasaturn 2y ago
  I recently ordered a Fairphone 5, imported from the UK. Stock Android experience, replaceable battery, SD card slot, unlocked bootloader and modding is encouraged. Its basically what the Pixel (Nexus) line was originally supposed to be.
alt227 2y ago
You dont remember batterygate then? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batterygate https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batterygate
- jeromegv 2y ago
  It was the opposite, slowing down the processor to preserve the battery (when a battery was quite old).
- zer0x4d 2y ago
  Lol this was the most blown out of proportion "gate" ever and a nothing burger really. The issue wasn't what Apple did, as it is a very common practice in the industry and I bet almost every other manufacturer did it too. The issue was that they didn't notify the user.

tocs3 2y ago

Would grapheneos (https://grapheneos.org/ https://grapheneos.org/) help with this? I am using a pixel 4a as a "house phone" so it is plugged in all the time but I wonder if I should upgrade.

gertlex 2y ago
In the sense that it was a perfectly good phone, and still works with e.g. various bank apps or whatever... and I got tired of jail-break/customization stuff of smart devices about a decade ago... the extra work to wipe everything and explore a new world of things that might turn out to be broken isn't what I'd consider a reasonable option. :/
- gausswho 2y ago
  Things have come a long way. The GrapheneOS installation in particular is very straightforward. And most banks work just fine as apps, and if not via their website.
- sifar 2y ago
  I use GrapheneOS on my pixel 4a ever since I got it a few years ago. Installation is straightforward and it is a best of both worlds - you can install and run android apps from the playstore in a sandbox.
  - gertlex 2y ago
    I have three... I should try this... but so many other projects :'(
badmintonbaseba 2y ago
> Since this is a major release, the Pixel 4a (5G) and Pixel 5 have not been ported to Android 14 QPR2 as part our initial release. We need to determine whether it makes sense to move these end-of-life devices to Android 14 QPR2 or keep them on a legacy extended support release branch based on the last Android 14 QPR1 release. https://grapheneos.org/releases#2024030600 https://grapheneos.org/releases#2024030600

unethical_ban 2y ago

Why don't they build a rollback "update" if they wiped the old firmware?

izzydata 2y ago
First they have to wait for the maximum number of people to buy new phones.
gertlex 2y ago
They as in google? This happened in a few stages: Rollout of the new release (Jan 8 or so; I got it maybe Jan 16?) Folks showed you could get the old update (I don't recall specifics) and block the OTA URLs (developer settings I think?) to prevent re-update. Google decided to make it harder to get the old firmware. I couldn't be arsed to wipe my phone, so am just living with the new shitty future for now.

zimbatm 2y ago

This needs more coverage. Perfectly good phones are getting thrown out because of a software update.

deng 2y ago
Google ended security updates for the Pixel 4a in August 2023, so running this as your daily driver was already problematic. Fortunately, LineageOS officially supports the 4a, and v22 (aka Android 15) was just released for it.
- red_trumpet 2y ago
  That point is so weird: Why offer a "performance update" 1.5 years after the end of security updates?
  - bdndndndbve 2y ago
    Given the sudden urgency and pulling the old software, I'm assuming they're trying to avoid aging batteries exploding.
    - patall 2y ago
      But then they should indicate that. Which they don't.
      - ikiris 2y ago
        They did as much as they would.
- alistairSH 2y ago
  Isn't that just 3 years after release? Is that normal for Google phones? Yikes.
  - mananaysiempre 2y ago

quercusa 2y ago

My wife was affected by this. When she applied for the $100 credit, she was told it could take up to three weeks to get the credit form.

netghost 2y ago
Which is just awesome when your current phone is broken. I posted about it and they suggested that I keep a backup phone available at all times, thanks folks.

deng 2y ago

You can revert this if you unlock your bootloader: https://xdaforums.com/t/undo-the-january-2025-update-without-losing-data-unlocked-devices-only.4713980/ https://xdaforums.com/t/undo-the-january-2025-update-without... (EDIT: Just to be clear, and which is also mentioned in that post: unlocking the bootloader will reset the device. If your device is already unlocked though, you will be able to keep the data.) Of course, I would just advise to switch to LineageOS directly, since Google has stopped providing security updates for the Pixel 4a already in August 2023. I've run LineageOS for years on the Pixel 4a and it has worked pretty much perfectly for me: https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/sunfish/ https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/sunfish/ Android 15 (LineageOS 22) was just released for it.

ianbooker 2y ago
How is the photo quality? I love the pictures from the old 12MP sensor + Googles software, but I understand this is not in Lineage?
- Zak 2y ago
  The Pixel camera app is available from the Play Store, and there are third-party ports of Gcam to other devices that offer extra configuration options. https://www.celsoazevedo.com/files/android/google-camera/ https://www.celsoazevedo.com/files/android/google-camera/
- deng 2y ago
  Well, they are good enough for me, but to be honest, I'm not particularly picky... As said in a parallel post, you can get GCam in APK form (I run LineageOS without GApps) but I hear it's a bit trial&error to find one that works and I haven't bothered.
- j1elo 2y ago
  I'd also be interested to know if a Google Camera app installed post-facto to LineageOS is compatible with the remote control & viewfinder of the Pixel Watch.
- nunez 2y ago

matja 2y ago

Are these not the old images? : https://developers.google.com/android/images#bramble https://developers.google.com/android/images#bramble

joombaga 2y ago
Right page, wrong anchor. They removed all but the latest firmware for the "sunfish", i.e. the non-5g Pixel 4a. https://developers.google.com/android/images#sunfish https://developers.google.com/android/images#sunfish
- jameshilliard 2y ago
  Yeah, it's archived at least here. https://web.archive.org/web/20231113025141if_/https://dl.google.com/dl/android/aosp/sunfish-tq3a.230805.001.s1-factory-82902ea9.zip https://web.archive.org/web/20231113025141if_/https://dl.goo...
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]

Sateeshm 2y ago

Best phone I've ever used. Still going great after 4 years. Don't know how long it will last. There doesn't seem to be anything available with similar form factor.

timerol 2y ago
What makes the form factor better than others in the series? I'm curious since I've only owned a Pixel 3a and a Pixel 6a
- Zak 2y ago
  No current phone from any manufacturer that's reasonably desirable is as small as the 4a, and few of any size have a headphone jack.
  - rolfvandekrol 2y ago
    Pixel 8a is fairly similar in size. Headphone jacks in phones are (sadly) gone forever i'm afraid.
    - Zak 2y ago
      The 8a is 3mm wider, 8mm taller, and 45g heavier. Perhaps that's not a huge difference, but I already consider the 4a too big. I will likely continue not upgrading as long as LineageOS and the hardware remain usable.
      - jakub_g 2y ago
        FWIW I was on Pixel 3a until last month; bought Pixel 6 in the meantime, but it was too big and heavy to carry around, so I only used it as a "tablet", only at home. Just updated to Pixel 8 and it fits the hand very well (including Spigen Liquid Air cover), and doesn't feel too heavy. Have a few friends who got Pixel 8 last month on sale as well and they all confirm.
      - dns_snek 2y ago

wonger_ 2y ago

It's frustrating. My phone went from 100% to 0% in under an hour. I could not rely on it for a typical workday. Thankfully my job does not require my personal phone, and thankfully the update happened on the weekend. Imagine seeing this Monday morning before work. Who has time to fiddle with firmware? And who has time to set up a new phone in the middle of a workweek, especially if you're switching to a non-Pixel phone? The small credit does not cover the cost of inconvenience.

stephaner 2y ago

Same problem here (a few hours of battery life and it's very slow to charge now). This update makes no sense at all, excepted if you want to force your users to buy a new phone. For me, it should be a RED flag on the Pixel lineup and on the confidence in Google. I filled https://www.stopobsolescence.org/ https://www.stopobsolescence.org/.

b112 2y ago
Just bought a pixel 9 pro fold. I am now returning it. Tricks like this mean I won't be a customer.
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]

sacckey 2y ago

This reminded me of when my Nexus 5X went into a boot loop.

starkparker 2y ago
This reminds me of when Google's last update to the 2012 wi-fi Nexus 7 botched its TRIM implementation, which made everyone think its shitty eMMC was to blame. I held onto mine sort of as a joke for more than a decade. I only just found out a month ago that the Android update caused its performance to tank, then put LineageOS on it, and was shocked to find that 13-year-old tablet was not only still usable but actually kinda good.
NeveHanter 2y ago
Yeah, mine did the same and later died completely, and only now I found that the LG was refunding the full price of phones or fixing them for free if they had this specific HW issue...

fumeux_fume 2y ago

My spouse had to buy a new phone because of this issue. Neither of us got any notification about the battery issue. Even if we did, what Google is offering here isn't great. We tried to get the battery replaced, but was told that the process could likely break the screen and jack up the cost to nearly the original purchase price. Sending the phone in for repair also isn't a good solution because she needs it for auth at work. What a mess.

MaximilianEmel 2y ago

See also: https://wiki.rossmanngroup.com/wiki/Pixel_4a_Battery_Performance_Program https://wiki.rossmanngroup.com/wiki/Pixel_4a_Battery_Perform...

pkaye 2y ago

My spouse and I have the same situation but strangely but my phone seems much better while my spouse's phone drains very quickly. We just took it in for a battery replacement at the Google store and should be picking it up soon.

j1elo 2y ago

I'm (we all are) constantly reminded to update our phones to latest available updates, but sh*t like this is what teaches users to instead disable and ignore updates indefinitely, under the premise of "if it works don't touch it" (addendum: "... because most probably an update will break it") And here I am, ignoring updates on my Pixel 6a since October 2024 (there were reports of crashes or bricking, what a surprise) and planning to keep doing that for the foreseeable future. Sucks having to choose between a potentially (even likely, seeing the trend) broken device or an unsecured one. Pick your poison.

OsrsNeedsf2P 2y ago
Google 4a user here. They pushed an update while I was on a ski trip in Korea - I updated an hour before getting on my bus and.. the application launcher started crashing on unlock. I couldn't open any apps. Thankfully, I was able to get into the settings and switch to Lawnchair without a working "desktop UI", but without a second application launcher I would have been totally screwed. I checked the Play Store afterwards and saw hundreds of people with the same issue. On Linux I can choose which "security" updates to install, and only install those. Why can't Windows and Android provide such a feature?
- TonyTrapp 2y ago
  Stuff like this is why I keep printing entrance tickets and the like. I don't want to end up in a situation where I have to trust software that is known to have new bugs every months to get into a place without any sort of backup.
  - sidewndr46 2y ago
    This works until you start attending events that require you to present your cell phone for entrance
    - encom 2y ago
      What? For what purpose? I've never heard of or encountered this.

zitterbewegung 2y ago

I've been running GraphiteOS on my Pixel 4a (it is a backup phone) and obviously it doesn't have the battery update but I can attest that it works great with it.

lnauta 2y ago

My pixel 4a lasted about 3 hours before the update, now its about an hour. Even with the discount in the store, it was cheaper to get the pixel 8a and some cash from a local vendor. The ticket to get the reimbursement went surprisingly fast, still waiting on money though. Yesterday I got my new 8a, installed grapheneos and it works very well! So far no massive issues. When I tried this on the 4a some years ago, netflix complained about general certificate stuff and casting was broken, microG et al was barely holding on. Now, no problems at all!

netghost 2y ago

This destroyed my phone, and their appeasement process was terrible too. There was no way for me to find out whether there was a supported repair shop nearby, the $50 cash was apparently through a very dodgy company, and then $100 google store credit didn't disclose that it's "upon review within three weeks" until after you irrevocably chose the option. The whole thing is ridiculous and poorly handled. Sadly, if my phone had just cracked or failed to turn on, I'd probably have upgraded happily and moved on with my life. As it is, now I feel like something was taken from me. So it goes

chasil 2y ago
Here is a map of the stores: https://images.ctfassets.net/d9ybqgejqp0w/7hP2z3Oyn8xH4TvFJtprIT/3f2991ed35f1f564708ae8d6aaa3ecf7/store-locator-feature-image.png?fm=webp&q=65 https://images.ctfassets.net/d9ybqgejqp0w/7hP2z3Oyn8xH4TvFJt... You can schedule an appointment here: https://asurion.com https://asurion.com A retired coworker got a 4a off eBay two years ago, and it's eligible for a free battery replacement.
s4i 2y ago
I was a Nexus/Pixel user for 10+ years. Majority of the phones I owned during that time had some quirks or issues. The worst examples were Nexus 5X and Pixel 5 – both just suddenly froze one day, shut down, and never turned back on again. After that Pixel 5 surprise I grudgingly switched to iPhone 12 mini. I still think Google’s Android UI is the best one out there for me, and I despise a lot in the iPhone UX (such as the keyboard) but I just need a phone that works and I can get repaired or replaced easily if I need to. At least in Finland, Google’s customer service has been abysmal over the years.
malfist 2y ago
Ars reporting says the $50 cash option's vendor charges a $30 annual fee if you don't close your account after getting paid.

chabad360 2y ago

Speaking as a Pixel 4a customer with this update: I received the update, and like everyone else, my phone battery started draining incredibly quickly. However, after getting the free battery replacement, my phone's battery has returned to draining as normal (and on the plus side, has somewhat renewed the life of this phone).

kpeeters 2y ago
Ditto. Replaced battery, phone is as new.
snovymgodym 2y ago
I'm glad it worked out for you. The problem is, the Pixel 4a is not designed to have the battery be swapped and it's common to break screens and other parts of the phone in the process. You can look up what's involved and it's no surprise that this is the case. It's basically a nice little case of hardware and software anti-consumer policies working together to break people's devices and force them to consume more. Without legislation nothing will change.
- snailmailstare 2y ago
  I think the EU is fixing it for the pixel 11a and up.

rwoerz 2y ago

I wonder why these "forced updates till kaputt" do not fall under (malicious) property damage. It is not just Google: My Amazon Kindle gets less and less responsive the last years without any noteworthy functional improvements. Same for the Firestick.

wobfan 2y ago

There's a nice video about this from Louis Rossmann [1] that talks about this in detail and tries to find some reasons for it, and he seems to suggest that the update was never about improving the battery life as in getting more usage per charge out of the battery, but improving it as in limiting the battery full charge capacity to minimize potential problems with it, because he (and others) assume that they identified bad batches and are trying to fix potential problems with them by limiting it. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xboo6sV-cJU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xboo6sV-cJU

NotPractical 2y ago
If you prefer reading over watching (thanks @MaximilianEmel): https://wiki.rossmanngroup.com/wiki/Pixel_4a_Battery_Performance_Program https://wiki.rossmanngroup.com/wiki/Pixel_4a_Battery_Perform...
tonymet 2y ago
He's a great advocate for right-to-repair . we have a crisis that few people are concerned about.

donclark 2y ago

I resolved this problem on my Pixel 4a by installing graphene OS. YMMV.

klaff 2y ago
Did you install GrapheneOS before or after the problematic update from google?
- donclark 2y ago
  After the update from Google, my 4a did not seem to hold a charge like it did before. I read the reviews/risks and thought that my easiest options were to either roll-back the OS update, or finally give GrapheneOS a try.
  - klaff 2y ago
    ty

sega_sai 2y ago

I've updated a couple of weeks ago, but I already had a battery replaced last year, so I didn't notice anything untoward with the charge. I did however start to have a vertical green line on the screen that appears for a while, then disappears for a while. (it is possible the line is just a coincidence and an unrelated screen defect).

rjmorris 2y ago
You were lucky. Lots of people who recently had their battery replaced (before the update was announced) were affected by this.

nunez 2y ago

wow. i was actually considering getting a 4a as the lynchpin for my move back to Android (as no small Android phones exist anymore). anyway, iPhone 13 Mini until it dissolves into dust.

OliveMate 2y ago

Hi, (soon to be ex) Pixel 4a user here. Regardless of why this update has happened, the way Google have went about this update is sketchy at best, and deceitful at worst. To be plain: this phone has been EOL for 1½ years now. This update has appeared out of the blue and specifically decimates the battery + charging capabilities. My most charitable view is that Google have found a major fault with the Pixel 4a battery and want to mitigate a repeat of the Galaxy Note 7 without saying it outright and causing a panic. My least charitable view (and immediate reaction) is that they're purposely ruining a viable budget phone to make more sales. Either of these are terrible. At no point has Google came out and stated -why- they're pushing this update in the first place. And as someone who hasn't updated I'd really like to know if my phone presents an immediate threat (and I'm sure Governments and airlines would also like to know) before I remotely consider an update that'll practically destroy my device. On top of this, within a day of being notified about this update, Google drastically raised the price of new Pixels on their store. Again if I'm charitable it could just be automatic global market price updates, but that goes out the window when Google must have prepared this update, FAQs, support plans, etc, then released it just before said price updates. The $100 discount recourse doesn't go far when the 8a jumped from £379 to £499. It's hard not to feel suspicious about it. While I'm here, I did briefly write about my experiences with the 4a, though I'm far from a competent tech writer: https://callmeo.live/blog/ode-to-the-pixel-4a/ https://callmeo.live/blog/ode-to-the-pixel-4a/

Suppafly 2y ago
>My least charitable view (and immediate reaction) is that they're purposely ruining a viable budget phone to make more sales. My wife was using a pixel 4 until last year and upgraded to a 7, I took her old phone and switched it over to my info and used it for like 2 days before it got a random update and refused to ever work again. Her 7 just got an update a couple of days ago and the battery went dead and it refused to boot until it'd been plugged in for an hour and then would only boot into recovery mode before finally returning to normal. I think google just has something really screwed up with their update process.
- Rastonbury 2y ago

ptspts 2y ago

Is it possible to decline this update on the UI of an internet-connected Pixel 4a? Mine has already updated, and I'm wondering if I had a chance to say no.

KORraN 2y ago
I'm getting prompts to restart in order to update. So far (~2 weeks), I was able to dismiss them.

AcerbicZero 2y ago

As soon as they dropped the Nexus line, things went downhill fast. IMO the nexus 5 was peak android.

clircle 2y ago
Concur, switched to iPhone around this time, as Android just started to feel like a knock off iOS rather than an alternative.
- nixosbestos 2y ago
  I'm sorry, but what? iOS and Android couldn't be more different, and if anything iOS has converged toward Android. Meanwhile my friend that likes to act smug about iOS has all but given up the gambit. My Pixel 9 Pro takes far better pictures, gets same or better battery life, and can crazy things like upload or download photos to Lightroom without needing to manually keep the screen on. Or you know, background tasks in general.
toast0 2y ago
The nexus 5x had a major bootlooping issue.

bmaupin 2y ago

I'm trying to figure out what the actual latest update is doing regarding the battery. I found an update to the kernel binary but it doesn't seem the source has been updated. Can I submit a GPL request to Google to get the kernel source? https://github.com/bmaupin/pixel4a-battery-research https://github.com/bmaupin/pixel4a-battery-research

kam 2y ago
I also looked around AOSP and found the commit for the battery alert icon [1], but no kernel source. [1] https://android.googlesource.com/platform/frameworks/base/+/2220fa67b2e403e886d0a70416ad2bbd1d0f7484%5E%21/ https://android.googlesource.com/platform/frameworks/base/+/...
jeroenhd 2y ago
If you own a device, you're entitled to a copy of all GPL software that came with it, including some build tools. However, if the diminished battery performance comes from some kind of firmware update for an embedded microcontroller, you're probably out of luck there, unless that controller also runs GPL software. It's possible the changes you're looking for are already listed on one of these repos: https://android.googlesource.com/device/google/sunfish-sepolicy/ https://android.googlesource.com/device/google/sunfish-sepol... https://android.googlesource.com/device/google/sunfish-kernel/ https://android.googlesource.com/device/google/sunfish-kerne... https://android.googlesource.com/device/google/sunfish/ https://android.googlesource.com/device/google/sunfish/ (sunfish is the codename for the Pixel 4a)
- bmaupin 2y ago
  I looked through all the sunfish repos first, which is how I found this: https://android.googlesource.com/device/google/sunfish-kernel/+/f0e5311ad616d4c3c7a7d4580d330bb33a958cd4 https://android.googlesource.com/device/google/sunfish-kerne... But apparently sunfish-kernel only contains binaries. Given there's an update to Image.lz4, that seems there's an update to the kernel. I also compared the binary to the previous version and found some new strings possibly related to battery charging profile. Next I checked out the source using Google's documentation but the latest commit is here: https://android.googlesource.com/kernel/msm/+/refs/heads/android-msm-sunfish-4.14-android13-qpr3 https://android.googlesource.com/kernel/msm/+/refs/heads/and... But maybe I'm looking in the wrong place.

tomerbd 2y ago

no more unlimited photos upload for you.

delfinom 2y ago

Hopefully people opted out of the binding arbitration for the phone so they can join a class action, right? Lol, I opt out on every new pixel phone

debo_ 2y ago

If it helps, I ran my 3a on Pixel Experience up until ~6 months ago, and it worked great. It's like having the exact same phone with extended upgrades. I gave it away to someone who needed it more and upgraded to an 8a. My mission with this phone is to use it for 10 years.

Shekelphile 2y ago

I am surprised there are even any functioning 4a's left to begin with. Google intentionally designs major components of these phones to break within a year or two of normal use, like using extremely cheap NAND that fails commonly, bricking the phone.

nickpinkston 2y ago

I've had software bugs / issues with various Pixel phones (original, 4, 6, now 7) for years, and I'm unsure why I'm such a masochist. Anyone else have this problem? Is it well known?

framtidsljus 2y ago

Another Pixel 4A user here. Still haven't installed the marvelous update. But it'll be installed the next time I reboot. No way to stop it. I have never had any battery issues. Now Google wants to effectively brick my beloved phone? And giving me $50 for the trouble. What. The. F. is going on. I've requested the $50, shall be paid out within 18 days they say. So sad. I really like (soon liked, probably) my 4a.

yread 2y ago

I was in the market and wanted to go for Pixel8 pro. This charade turned me completely anti-google and I'm not even considering it even though camera is the most important attribute of the phone for me.

zargon 2y ago

Does/will GrapheneOS ship this new firmware? My Pixel 4a needed a new battery. I ordered the kit from ifixit, but was worried about possibly breaking the screen during replacement and being without a phone. So I bought a used iPhone XS to try out Apple-land. My plan was to put GrapheneOS on the Pixel 4a and decide eventually if my next phone would be a new Pixel with GrapheneOS or a new iPhone. Since then this whole debacle has unfolded. GrapheneOS's installation instructions say that it updates the phone's firmware to the latest early in the installation process. GrapheneOS's releases page has a "2025012701" release for Pixel 4a. But the release notes don't have any mention of Pixel 4a since version 2023100300. I'm trying to figure out if GrapheneOS has actually updated their Pixel 4a image since then, and whether it would install the battery breaking firmware.

jerome-jh 2y ago

Contrary to was is said in the article, the 50$/100$ compensation was announced shortly before the update. It is no compensation for the mess they caused. I still have not restarted my phone since the update. But my wife has and her phone does not hold charge for a day, compared to 48h before the update. Battery percentage gone completely unreliable. She's only doing slow charges since then in an attempt to have battery management chip somehow recover. Hard to see what they tried to "fix"

Halan 2y ago

I am done suggesting pixel phones to my family elders. Refurbished iPhones is the way to go

roesel 2y ago

The pixel 4a battery life saga was what made both me and my entire extended family never even consider buying a pixel phone again (and move to Samsung or iPhones). Google denied the issues existed forever, then shipped a fix that somehow made them even worse, and made the phone unusable for years. I hope we were not the only ones.

isaacremuant 2y ago
Samsung with Nova Launcher is pretty usable. It has its annoying quirks but probably closer to your old experience than a full iPhone switch.

zer0x4d 2y ago

Has there been a single Pixel with no boot loop, battery, reception, or otherwise some other major issue? What is going on at the Pixel team??? They have probably single handedly cost Google millions of dollars

computehyper 2y ago

I'm semi homeless and the forced Pixel 4a battery update made my phone unusable and I'm in a state of tears. What can I do? Reddit deleted my post (I am hoping it's not because of Google employees) I don't want to get too long into what happened in my life, but I had a Pixel 4a and everything was running great. Even when I was on the streets homeless I was able to charge it. I'm still struggling in and out, and apparently there was an update that came automatically to my phone. I checked and talked to live support in the library and they said it was just a battery update and it will last a bit less. That wasn't a big deal I thought but now the update came and my battery went from many hours to maybe half an hour now and doesn't charge at all or very slowly. I have interviews and some other small jobs that I have to do and just hard life right now and I do not have any money for this. I am a bit emotional so I asked while tearing up to Google support why they did this and I can't afford this my life is in shambles but they didn't help me. Even with the battery replacement I do not live near any local shops and mailing it in would not be possible for my situation. I bought this phone when my life was good and I only like this one and want to use this one. All my stuff is on here and I don't know too much about phones so I just want this to work. I don't have money to fix this. I feel like the phone will die any second. What can be done? I didn't know they would do this. My life just keeps getting worse... I always feared my phone getting stolen on the streets but never thought Google would steal my phone. What can I do? I don't have much minutes or data and can't afford it, is there a number I can call Google directly? I don't want to play with the phone and do anything weird my life is on it and can't back it up. Thank you all.

aucisson_masque 2y ago
Get a cheap flip phone to receive call and make them. When you got enough money, buy a phone. Not Google's one obviously. And transfer everything from the pixel to the new. Keep the pixel for the incoming lawsuit.

ChrisArchitect 2y ago

I'm semi homeless and Google's forced update on the Pixel 4a ruined it https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42871613 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42871613

nickjj 2y ago

I have a Google Pixel 4a and planned to use the phone until it physically no longer worked. I loved it, especially with its wired headphone jack and small size. It has worked for 3+ years and held a charge for 2-3 days easily until the other week when they pushed the battery patch. Now it dies in a few hours with light usage. I asked Google support on what will happen if I get a battery replacement and it's still draining fast. They won't answer. Google reps at a repair center said a battery replacement is unlikely to fix the drain issue since the drain behavior is attached to an OS update you can't opt out of. This is really frustrating to be ignored by Google after they essentially bricked a fully working device that I paid for. This is a type of move where I'm tempted to de-Google myself over this, including deleting my YouTube channel with 20k subs that I've been regularly posting to for almost a decade. My whole business (selling courses and contract work) depends on SEO from Google and YouTube and I'm close to saying fuck it and destroying all of that out of principle on how poorly they are treating folks over this issue. I haven't made that decision yet but it's close to be honest. Close enough that I'm openly posting this message.

tristor 2y ago

Stuff like this is part of why I stick with iPhone. The Pixel 4A stopped receiving security updates just 3 years after release, and rather than being direct about what battery changes were made and providing reasonable pathways for people to replace batteries, this happens. Apple does stupid and shady stuff too, it is certainly not perfect, but Google has always had a cultural attitude permeating their organization since the beginning that wanted to avoid doing any sort of real customer support, and preferenced boxing customers into something kafkaesque over doing the right thing. For all the dumb shit Apple has done, I can walk into any Apple Store and talk to a person and get my problem resolved for a nominal fee (if any), their devices get 5+ years of security updates (usually closer to 7 years) and I upgrade before that ends anyway for other reasons (typically about every 4-5 years), in the interim my device "just works". I've effectively never had a problem with an Apple device since I've switched. I was an early adopter of Android, made my own customer ROMs and shared them on XDA Developers Forum, and otherwise was big on Android, but it became really clear to me very quickly that the app ecosystem is a mess (security and otherwise), the core OS has huge privacy and functional design issues, and Google as a steward and a first-party handset manufacturer is not the company you want to do business with. This really sucks for everyone impacted, and I understand why many many people (including my wife) choose to stay on Android, but you should really give some thought to this. What do you /actually/ do every day with your phone, and what would better serve you? As someone who wants to spend as little time on my phone as possible, and I use it as a tool, that needs to actually work when I need it, and I travel often, iPhone is clearly a more reliable choice.

hayd 2y ago
I just wish they had a smaller offering than the SE. (But seemingly this is the case for everyone nowadays.)
- nyarlathotep_ 2y ago
  Hanging on to my 12 mini for that reason.
izacus 2y ago
Apple literally did the exact same thing with limiting battery limits on iPhone 6 and got sued for it. C'mon.

brailsafe 2y ago

Can we get some unrelated coverage going for Google's persistent failure to fix their "show trending searches" toggle!? It doesn't work even on newer devices; there's no way to turn off trending search suggestions and search history at the same time. I just want to search, I don't need to know who got killed in Florida or what Trump said. It's there in the settings, but it doesn't work.

hnburnsy 2y ago

Google destroyed the battery on the Fitbit Charge 5 with an update that apparently could not be rolled back or reset. Never admitted fault, never said what the issue was, and very little was offered to affected users. Vowed to never buy Google hardware again... https://www.androidcentral.com/wearables/fitbit-charge-5-battery-drain-and-black-screen-issues https://www.androidcentral.com/wearables/fitbit-charge-5-bat...

isaacremuant 2y ago

After Google Pixel 3 Google went really anti consumer in so many fronts that switching out of it was a no brainer and while you can be tempted by the latest shiny, their level of contempt for their core customers just keeps surfacing. They're too big to care and will keep doing it until people vote with their wallets en masse, for a sufficient amount of time.

madduci 2y ago

There's one way to get off: move to Lineage OS or postmarketOS and enjoy the device further

maxglute 2y ago

Qualified and applied for the cash but it's been a couple weeks and never came. Would have settled for a couple years of Youtube premium.

izacus 2y ago

marcan@ took a look at this update here: https://social.treehouse.systems/@marcan/113914172433692339 https://social.treehouse.systems/@marcan/113914172433692339 It seems like it limits max charge voltage on one exact model of the battery to much lower limit. I bet there's a reason for it and reverting the change most likely isn't the smartest for safety. What I don't get is why Google just doesn't come out and say it.

Aissen 2y ago

Note that Google has publicly announced that the software update would reduce the battery capacity of some devices, at the beginning of the month: > For some devices (“Impacted Devices”), the software update reduces available battery capacity and impacts charging performance. https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/15701861?hl=en&sjid=10565134194755877440-EU https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/15701861?hl=en&... More details in marcan's reverse engineering of the closed-source update: https://social.treehouse.systems/@marcan/113914172433692339 https://social.treehouse.systems/@marcan/113914172433692339

tetris11 2y ago
> You can tell which battery you have physically by the number next to the QR code. 8230015901 is ATL (good) and 8230020501 is LSN (bad). If you're replacing your battery, make sure it's ATL. Where do I find this info on my phone?
- bmaupin 2y ago
  You can run this: adb shell cat /sys/class/power_supply/battery/serial_number Requires adb: https://developer.android.com/tools/adb https://developer.android.com/tools/adb
  - tetris11 2y ago
    Merci! Yep looks like my phone is affected. I guess using lineage means it's safe?
    - Aissen 2y ago
      It means you should try to get your 120€/$100 voucher or free battery replacement :-)

cultofmetatron 2y ago

used to be a long time pixel user. I had a pixel 2, 3 and 4a. 1. first one suddenly started bootlooping out of nowhere 2. second one's battery suddenly expanded out of nowhere and couldn't hold a charge more than 10 min 3. thrid one's battery started failing and woudln't turn on unless I plugged it into an external battery bank. Sll 3 times while I was abroad and they are almost IMPOSSIBLE to get repaired. they use all csutom parts so none of teh repair shops were famiilar with them. google wouldn't do a thing till I came back to the united states to get the repairs done. After 3 of these pieces of shit, I switched to an iphone. It just works. I've had zero issues with it and at least apple care won't force me to buy a ticket back to the states just to replace it.

neumann 2y ago

For me this update stopped the sim card being recognized. Phone was a few months old, having bought a new from HK when I went traveling. Last decent sized pixel and it was so light.

bcraven 2y ago

Farewell to the last sensibly-sized Pixel phone. I have been forced to the 8a, which sadly feels far too heavy and breakable compared to the simple beauty of the 4a.

amyjess 2y ago
I'd recommend going with Sony nowadays. The Xperia 10 series especially is a lot like a 4a.
- mnsc 2y ago
  Sony are giving up on the compact flagship 5 series because "People are no longer interested in compact phones and would rather go for a large one if it offers the same benefits". And unfortunately the specs of the Xperia 10 just doesn't cut it for me. :(
  - jamesfinlayson 2y ago
    Ugh, pockets aren't getting bigger. Buying my last phone was a real challenge - even 6.5 inches long feels huge, and there were very few options under 7 inches.
    - mnsc 2y ago
      Funny enough I found some old pants that still fit, ~20y old, and those pockets does not fit a modern phone. But I remember my Nokia 6210 being just the right size for them.
      - jamesfinlayson 2y ago
        Sounds about right. I remember around 15 years ago a family member got a new phone and I thought it was laughably big. Probably smaller than what I'm currently using in retrospect.

terramars 2y ago

if this is due to that specific manufacturer having battery fires, i don't hate it as it seems like the battery replacement option is basically the same as a recall. completely different from a random bug causing it or an across-the-board EOL update. pixel longevity isn't great, but at least they're relatively easy to maintain and the device protection program is acceptable.

refulgentis 2y ago
I guess even if we didn't hate it, it'd be nice if they said that, so people knew that it's not a buggy update, but rather, they have a ticking time bomb in their pants pocket.

Wehrdo 2y ago

Sounds like the Lishen batteries might have a safety issue when charged fully. Not sure why else they would limit the charge on them. At least they're offering free replacement or cash payment.

userbinator 2y ago

Have the battery replaced for free at a walk-in center in the US, Canada, UK, Germany, Singapore, or India or take advantage of a mail-in repair program (US-only). Whatever else you think about Google, I think you'd agree that is a much better response than what Apple did.

chomp 2y ago
My battery wasn’t cut in half on iPhone, the duration improved
woodson 2y ago
What if you bought it in another country? (Directly from Google’s pixel store in that country.) Out of luck, that’s what.
- mixedCase 2y ago
  The article indicates these are also options: 2) Request a $100 Google Store credit that you can put toward the purchase of another Pixel phone or other hardware. 3) Request a $50 cash payment.
slavik81 2y ago
My Pixel 4a won't turn on. I wonder if this might fix that problem. I guess it's worth a shot.
- polka_haunts_us 2y ago
  My dad and I both bought a 4a (5G) at the same time, ours both died within a week of each other. With mine at least I know the issue was that it just stopped charging entirely, no cable plugged in would fix it. Unfortunately, the 5G variation doesn't appear to be part of this program.
scarface_74 2y ago
What exactly did Apple “do”?

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

01100011 2y ago

In other news: https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/30/google-issues-voluntary-exit-program-for-android-chrome-and-pixel-employees/?guccounter=1 https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/30/google-issues-voluntary-ex...

thegrim33 2y ago

HN headline is misleading - it reduces battery life for some 4a users, not all 4a users, and anybody that is affected (and they have a procedure to verify whether you're affected) can get a free battery replacement, fixing the problem, or alternatively, cash.

dang 2y ago
(This was originally posted to https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42884803 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42884803, where the headline is different. We merged that thread hither)

nfriedly 2y ago

I'd be interested in acquiring a Pixel 4a from someone who doesn't want theirs anymore. I replaced the battery in my Pixel 2 myself - it was a bit of work but not too bad overall (it's probably not waterproof anymore, though). nathan@[hn username].com