Google Pixel 4a’s painful “update” was due to battery overheating risk
- Thread starter JournalBot
- Start date
That's some serious bullshit-grade antics on Google's part. Automakers do this sort of thing all the time, but even they couldn't get away with "this car has a pretty good chance of killing you, so we just sent an OTA update to permanently cripple it so you effectively cannot drive it."
I hope there's a lawsuit and a recall besides.
I hope there's a lawsuit and a recall besides.
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When Australia considers something too dangerous, you know you'd better take it seriously.
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The spicy pillow (Li. Ion Lishenensis) is an invasive species from Asia which outcompetes native battery fires.
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J.C. Helios
Ars Scholae Palatinae
We shouldn't be learning about this from a foreign country's regulators, Google.
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This would be fine if the battery replacement was worldwide, but it was only limited to a few countries.
I guess it makes sense for Google from a cost perspective, but it's still pretty scummy.
I guess it makes sense for Google from a cost perspective, but it's still pretty scummy.
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That recall notice is very poorly done. It seems to saying there is a recall for this device because of the update Google issued. Not that the device is unsafe UNLESS the update is applied. Way to make it helpful for consumers, ACCC. Farther down it even says "make sure to apply the newest firmware update" despite just above that seeming to confuse "describe the issue" with "explain what google did to mitigate it". Did anyone with a passing grasp of language read this notice before it was posted? How laughable...
(This all is aside from the fact that google really should be replacing batteries, not neutering the phone in order to prevent batteries from overheating and catching fire.)
(This all is aside from the fact that google really should be replacing batteries, not neutering the phone in order to prevent batteries from overheating and catching fire.)
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Agreed, I checked my 4A and it's of course not included because I'm in the US.
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Which automakers have done that? GM did a temporary limit (far from crippled @80%) on the Bolt - it was removed once the recalled batteries were replaced. As far as I know it's been similar for Jaguar, VW, etc.
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I have an unlocked Pixel 4a I had to take in for service(uBreakiFix) in November of 2022 that had a swelling battery. I had contacted Google Fi(my carrier) about it and they took forever to respond as well as not treating it with the urgency it deserved. Google(bought from Google store) never wound up helping me with that situation in any form and now I read this it is clear that my model was very likely impacted. This is unacceptable handling by Google.
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My nexus 4a wasn't affected by the issue - I checked it last time Ars had an article on this topic. Rather suspect my next phone won't be a google one though - this is pretty crappy behaviour from google.
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In only a few years, Google has gone from "Don't be evil" to "Don't bother to tell customers they're carrying a potential incendiary device in their pockets".
Good job!
Good job!
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Sorry if I wasn't clear - I was referring to weaseling things under the threshold of recalls. Technical Service Bulletins go out all the time for things manufacturers should have caught and certainly should be legally compelled to fix, but aren't. They don't necessarily have to be safety critical systems to justify a recall, either.
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Have you ever owned a car with an airbag? Good chance that car needed a recall. You might want to read up on the great Takata airbag scandal.
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TBF, all Lithium powered devices are capable of causing great harm.
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Battery overheating on a Pixel 4a? That's strange. I "upgraded" from a 4a to a 7a to get 5G, and I immediately noticed the 7a gets much hotter.
But maybe my particular phone isn't affected? I haven't checked or even booted it since this issue started.
But maybe my particular phone isn't affected? I haven't checked or even booted it since this issue started.
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Are there any regulators left in the US? Isn't regulation too woke or all regulators are DEI or whatever. /s
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The whole thing is a scam. I sent mine in for battery replacement, and was told that the connector needed replacing, so instead of a free battery replacement, they were going to charge $90 for the connector which worked just fine. I said no. Not sure how many were made to pay up and thus saving Google money.
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So, Google has big problems with Pixel and Chrome. Next, we’re going to learn that using AI in search causes measles. But… seriously, the combination of legal and engineering issues is a bad sign.
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This could be fixed easily via replaceable batteries on the phone design.
But sacrificing even a tiny bit of water and dust resistance and cost is not worth the safety benefits.
I really don’t get google, android had my business up until they got rid of the replaceable batteries in the Samsung models.
But sacrificing even a tiny bit of water and dust resistance and cost is not worth the safety benefits.
I really don’t get google, android had my business up until they got rid of the replaceable batteries in the Samsung models.
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This sounds more like a firmware downgrade than upgrade.
Seriously, I was looking to buy a new phone. It will be a long time before I touch a Google phone.
Seriously, I was looking to buy a new phone. It will be a long time before I touch a Google phone.
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so... if my refurb 4a's IMEI, sent from Google, through Google Fi Wireless' protection plan, says "Appeasement already received" on that checker site
... that hopefully means they sent me one with a not-problematic battery?
... that hopefully means they sent me one with a not-problematic battery?
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This appears to be how phone recalls work.
My Nexus 5X that was felled by LG's admitted poor engineering resulting in a bootloop? The repairer said "oh there's some (unverifiable-by-me damage). That'll be $600 to replace or you can pay for shipping your brick back".
My wife's Pixel 4a that was gimped by this patch? Take it to an authorized repairer, and they say "oh yeah, but then we'll break the screen, and Google won't pay for that, so that'd be $200". More than it'd cost to buy a same-era same-size Pixel 5.
If I were a amoral business-admin dweeb whose bonus depended on saving money, I'd absolutely write the SOPs for my repair contractors so that they denied as many claims as possible. "Phone looks like someone used it? Deny".
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That was almost virtually ASUS' playbook in the Gamers Nexus investigation last year.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pMrssIrKcY
A portable gaming console was sent in for a broken left joystick. ASUS denied the warranty claim, stating it had "customer-induced damage". When ASUS was pushed to send a photo of the damage, it was this tiny scratch next to the volume buttons:
See the video for the full story; this is hardly half the story.
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One of the reasons I switched to an iPhone was because I found it impossible to get Android phones repaired.
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Remember when Google's motto was "Don't be Evil"? That apparently became a hindrance.
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/google-motto-dont-be-evil/
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We should be more clear when it comes to this blurb from the story. I chose the Google Store credit option and it's only for use on a new Pixel phone, nothing else.
I tried using it on a watch and nope - got an error saying "promo code doesn't apply". Going back to re-read the email that included the code, it does clearly state that it "can only be used for the purchase of another Pixel phone". My own fault as I apparently didn't read the fine print well enough when selecting that option in the first place. Oops.
I'd like to see Ars be more specific on this matter.
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The heat will dramatically reduce, and the battery run time will likewise greatly improve, if you disable/remove all the crapware that comes bundled with the phone. I did that to my Pixel 6a and the difference was quite remarkable. The crapware was operating all the time!
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Given what Apple had to do for a well-meaning but under-publicised update that had no safety implications, I suspect the lawyers are already salivating over the Pixel non-recall...
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Has anyone gotten their $50 Payoneer payment yet? I'm in the middle of the "within 10-18 business days" window so I'll be patient, but still curious.
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That seems to defeat one of the majn purposes of getting a Pixel which is you get to skip all the OEM bloatware. If Google is adding more of their own on top now, and is as bad as if not worse than other Android OEMs for hardware support, begs the question of why Pixel exists.
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It took a few weeks but I did finally get my $50. What a pain in the ass Payoneer is to use though.
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Yeah; but... my vendor issued a recall notice and I drove the car in to the nearest dealer where they replaced the defective component free of charge in less than 3 hours?
I didn't get my airbag disabled OTA, the recall notice was very clear about the risks, and the fix was a permanent fix (I assume; I haven't set off the airbag since they replaced the firing mechanism, so I guess it's possible it won't deploy correctly? But unlikely).
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As someone who is not supersitious I find it mildly concerning that both the iPhone 4 and the Pixel 4 had issues - and the number 4 is considered unlucky in China, which is said to be why Oppo go from 3 to 5 in their numbering system. The Mandarin word for "4" sounds like "death".
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My Pixel4a never had a problem (4 year ownership).
I traded mine in for the Pixel8a with the Pixel4a discount - then got the extra returned item deduction because my Pixel4a was in almost pristine condition. BTW - it was used every day with a nightly charge. No, my phone hardly ever went below 50% charge since I kept going back and force quitting many apps.
So far, I've been liking my pixels. We'll see how things go in the future.
I traded mine in for the Pixel8a with the Pixel4a discount - then got the extra returned item deduction because my Pixel4a was in almost pristine condition. BTW - it was used every day with a nightly charge. No, my phone hardly ever went below 50% charge since I kept going back and force quitting many apps.
So far, I've been liking my pixels. We'll see how things go in the future.
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The founders are busy enjoying their billions while looking down on everyone with less money to remember their original goals when starting Google. Fascinating how becoming obscenely rich changes the psychology of nearly everyone. I read it actually causes changes in brain circuitry that leads to less empathy.
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