Talk:Pixel 4a Battery Performance Program

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Add pictures suggestion

since the article states "While there is widespread speculation about a battery manufacturing fault", I suggest adding pics from "https://old.reddit.com/r/Pixel4a/comments/1hxyp6z/certainly_seems_battery_defectrelated_vs_planned/" as further motivation for such speculation.

Google doesn't normally require such special "box for defective lithium ion batteries" to mail-in phones for repairs (some users said in the comments this might just be good practice and business as usual when sending phones for repair but it's really not), so the reasoning for doing it this time around seems clear enough to me and would add very strong evidence to this speculation.

Samsung sent out a very similar box (https://www.cultofmac.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Note-7-return-kit.png) when the note 7 thing happened.

I'd also maybe add a seventh point in "Criticism by Community" about users reporting their battery percentage indicator stop working entirely, and in point 3. imo it should be made more clear that a payoneer account with full personal info (including social security number) must be created by the user (potential security/privacy issue), I know there's already the "account fees" part but in the way it's written it's not clear the user has to make a proper account in the first place.

Maybe I should've made this edit myself, but english isn't my native language, I don't think i'm very good at writing formally in cases like this, and just didn't feel comfortable messing with other people's excellent work.

Wow, I was not aware of the pics from the first one. In that case, whether this is actually a battery fault or just planned obsolescence still seems to be anyone's game at this point. Neither look good for Google. I'll reword that paragraph then to be more neutral.

As for the percentage indicator, I read a lot of people saying it stopped working, then started working again, which to me indicates that the indicator just paused while the battery drained under the newly implemented limit. I don't find that noteworthy enough to include, I guess.

Thank you for your suggestions, I'll get to editing soon. ZenithHelix (talk) 18:32, 19 January 2025 (UTC)

I implemented the edits. ZenithHelix (talk) 19:59, 19 January 2025 (UTC)

Google Support section

On another note, I wish there was a wiki-appropriate way to talk about how weird Google Support has been throughout this, but none of those things were said "officially" and many reports just come from users recounting what they talked about (I feel like I'm already on thin ice with all the Reddit posts I'm sourcing from). There was that one post that asked Google Support about turning in their phone for cash and them saying that the phone would be worth *less money* if they installed the new software update (again, unconfirmed, someone just said this). I also talked to them at one point and they told me my device would be considered impacted if it had worse battery performance AFTER the update, despite the compensation form being live based on the IMEI before the update was ever rolled out. It is probably just that the Support Team doesn't have a very clear understanding of the issue, but it's interesting that if that is the case, a lot of the misinformation has been coming directly from Google. ZenithHelix (talk) 19:59, 19 January 2025 (UTC)

> but none of those things were said "officially" and many reports just come from users recounting what they talked about

Maybe you could ask those users to provide a copy of the support conversation? Google support gives you the option to send you a copy of the whole chat log at the end of each support request

21/01/25 - Anonymous user again here

10 days ago, I asked iFixit support whether the batteries they are currently selling are some sort of newer batch that isn't affected by this problem or not
their response: sorry for the late reply, it took us a while to figure this one out, "The issue is with the device itself and not the batteries, We suggest you go through Google to see if your device is impacted"
this means two things:
A. this "replace your battery" thingy doesn't make any sense, as the issue is with the device's construction (like samsung figured out in the end with the note 7)
or (more likely imo)
B. Google's communication keeps being vague and misleading, even to its parts providers
the fact that iFixit has no idea if the batteries they are currently selling, or recently sold, are affected by a problem makes Google look pretty bad here, I was expecting them to have contacted iFixit already on the sixth of january but nope, I am giving them the news
this whole situation keeps getting more and more absurd

Dear Anon, that's an insane revelation. I'm trying to think whether there's somehow a mysterious third option we're missing that isn't planned obsolescence OR a manufacturing fault. Because your point A is absolutely correct, the battery replacement angle makes no sense in this case. I get if there's a hazard, Google wouldn't just plain say that, but why would they not just tell iFixit something like "oh, the Pixel 4a's batteries are just old, these are newer replacements". What do they mean there's a problem with the device?! There's no way to read this other than "Yeah, there's a problem with the device. We made a problem, with the update, on purpose.". I think this is worth adding to the article, if you can source it somehow. ZenithHelix (talk) 18:50, 21 January 2025 (UTC)

https://www.reddit.com/r/Pixel4a/comments/1i6ei4x/the_pixel_discount_does_stack_with_the_sale/ . Okay, you know what? Maybe Google REALLY ARE just this inept at public relations. Updating the article to include it... ZenithHelix (talk) 19:01, 21 January 2025 (UTC)

> I think this is worth adding to the article, if you can source it somehow.

I honestly don't know if I'm allowed to provide a screenshot of the support conversation, maybe it's ok as long as the name of the support agent isn't included? I don't want to cause trouble to the iFixit support guy

maybe I should've asked if he was okay with this in the reply I sent him hours ago, but it's too late now I think, let me know if I'm just overthinking this and providing a copy of the email isn't that big of a deal

I feel like it's fine to censor their name, poor support person has nothing to do with this. I don't think it makes the screenshot any more or less legit. ZenithHelix (talk) 19:53, 21 January 2025 (UTC)

https://files.catbox.moe/lwkeo4.png

22/01/25 Some more anon considerations

I wasn't aware of the "Frequently asked questions" at the bottom of "https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/15701861", actually, I'm pretty sure it wasn't there at first but looking at the internet archive page of the 7th january, it has always been there, you also mentioned missing it in a reddit comment (in fact, that's how I found out about it), very very odd.
Anyways, I found a couple of things here interesting
1. I haven’t had any issues with my Pixel 4a. Can I take it on a plane
...imo very very strange to have this question there at all
2. My Pixel 4a is working normally. Do I need to stop using it? You do not need to stop using your Pixel 4a. Your device will receive the software update from January 8, 2025, or you can manually download the update.
it's as if they are implying you shouldn't stop using it, because your device will receive the software update... so the software update makes it safe to use? the way it's worded doesn't strictly imply that... but then why mention the update? what if I'm running a custom rom and will not receive the update? this part is also very strange.
3. If an Impacted Device claims an appeasement other than a battery replacement, that device will not qualify for future mail-in repair service but can still receive other non-mail in repair services where available.
So, if you have an impacted device and live in a country where mail-in battery replacement isn't an option, and non-mail in authorized repair centers don't exist (e.g. Italy), Google will salt the wound by refusing to offer future out of warranty paid repairs for your phone.
This means that if I now get my battery replaced by a random local repair shop, or replace it myself with the iFixit kit (keep in mind: these are the only options I have here in Italy), and in two years my screen breaks and I want to have it fixed by Google, (paying for it, of course), nope, no oem repair service for you because you happen to live in a country where an impacted device cannot be "repaired properly by us", hehe, sorry
I remember that example Louis often gave about apple voiding warranty on a macbook's screen or something because "an aftermarket crucial ssd was installed", you know where the difference is? Apple was at least still willing to repair that macbook if you paid for it, and they gave you the option to replace the ssd themselves in the first place, Google is worse than apple on so many levels here.
And that makes me wonder... why exactly isn't mail in battery repair an option here in italy? oh yeah, cause if I enter the imei of my impacted device on the repair thingy I get a weird error that tells me to contact support which will in turn deny any repair, but you know what? So far there's a little detail I didn't mention here up until now: after I complained about my previous 4a's battery having swollen (the screen started to unglue itself and push upwards, thought that was the cause, in the end turns out it was fine but they agreed with me) they decided to give me a brand new refurbished unit in the end, it has 4 months of warranty on it and you know what? I can request all sorts of repairs for it, EVEN TO THE BATTERY, which prompts me with a mail-in option... just fine
so... they of course accept mail ins for battery repair... but if your phone is impacted they don't... in the US they do, because they send you a "defective battery" box for it...
any way I look at this, nah, there's no way this isn't for safety reasons, if that last part isn't proof of this, I don't know what is.
oh I was gonna hit "save changes" but then... something clicked... phones that had their batteries replaced at a local non authorized repair center or by yourself won't be eligible for future paid repairs because... because at that point they have no way of knowing the battery inside your phone isn't an explosive one that will cause trouble shipping in a regular box, wouldn't that explaination make total sense?, that's it, i'm turning crazy.
-Same day anon update-
I wanted to grab a screenshot of that error that previously prompted me to contact google support when entering the imei number of my previous (impacted) 4a on the repair wizard thingy, and... I don't get an error any more, the wizard now just works, says my warranty is expired and lists me the usual repair options... including a battery replacement for 81€ (which by the way has a little checkbox that says: I declare my phone isn't emitting smoke or sparks, so there's nothing preventing me from shipping them a phone with a swollen battery either it seems, doesn't mention that at all, it's fine as long as it's not currently exploding, lol)
this does two things:
1. turn part of what I wrote earlier from a "gotcha, it's definitely a security thing" into a bunch of nonsense/misinformation (sorry for wasting your time I guess, maybe I should've just deleted that part)
2. make the situation even weirder, why do americans need the defective battery box to ship the phone to google, while europeans don't? and why isn't a free battery replacement an option for us, when they are clearly capable of offering the service? because it's too expensive (81€)? but... the google store coupon is 100€... so we're now back again from "safety" to "planned obsolescence to push you into getting a new phone", neat.
well, at least one thing is clear: the situation is really messed up in both cases.

23/01/25 - Anonymous user reporting a rather important update

Google seems to have quietly removed all previous pixel 4a software builds from their developer portal (initial source: https://www.reddit.com/r/Pixel4a/comments/1i7tmmb/cannot_locate_tq3a230805001s1_build_for_update/)
1. https://files.catbox.moe/t5kvmh.png as you can see here, phones before and after the 4a have all sorts of builds of all versions of android (going back as far as android 2.3.6 for the original Nexus S), but the 4a only has the latest a13 update, archive.org doesn't seem to work as the list is loaded dynamically via javascript or something so the available builds don't display there.
2. https://files.catbox.moe/dnir9e.png only the latest a13 build is available for flashing in the official Google flashtool
3. I picked this random 9to5google article (https://9to5google.com/2021/10/04/android-11-october-security-patch/) which lists A11 October builds for various pixel devices, all the links work except the one for the 4a (https://dl.google.com/dl/android/aosp/sunfish-rq3a.211001.001-factory-5d6da39f.zip), which gives an error 404 message.
Maybe I should've quit with my conspiracies a while ago, but... let me wear the tinfoil hat one last time, why pull all the previous builds if it's just a stability thing and not a safety thing?
Factory/OTA images before the battery killer update are still available in the first post of this XDA thread: https://xdaforums.com/t/changes-coming-to-your-pixel-4a.4712085/
full list of builds that were removed: https://pastebin.com/0Cw8iDUf, you can still find one or two download sources for each one by googling it, but be careful, I couldn't find the hashes of the original files so there's no way of knowing if there's malware or else embedded into these random downloads scattered around the web, plus all of these are one site closure (or DMCA takedown from google) away from being lost media, those that have the possibility of making an archive, backups, maybe a torrent file or else: please do (by making them available in the previously linked xda thread). Preserving the latest A10/A11/A12/A13S1 builds should take priority (imo), keep in mind older custom roms also need these factory images to work in most cases.

Please, please please upload these ROMs to a thread on XDA and then link back to it here. There's no way the mods can verify your torrent link or your direct link. You are also claiming Google will DMCA any reuploads, by that assumption do you not think Google will then also DMCA this wiki for hosting links to the reuploaded material? I am removing them for now. A moderator will need to go through history and clean up. Karar (talk) 21:32, 23 January 2025 (UTC)

Reply:

sorry for that, I should've cleared up where I sourced that stuff from.

The last time I edited the magnet link, it actually came from xda (https://xdaforums.com/t/changes-coming-to-your-pixel-4a.4712085/page-8)

the direct-dl was also a reupload of the ota image that came from there, but I don't think it's necessary to include it in the end, 99% of users will want the factory image.

I never claimed that Google WILL dmca any reuploads, but that it *might*, and from my understanding of it, a magnet link/link to another site can't really be dmca'd, just like a torrent tracker can't be dmca'd, this wiki isn't hosting any of the material, so I don't see how it could cause any sort of trouble.

I've asked the mods about this, they say they're not interested in verifying contents of torrent links. Feel free to link to XDA. Karar (talk) 21:58, 23 January 2025 (UTC)

Hey, just to verify Karars claim, we would appreciate it if you refrain from posting direct magnet links. Links to xda or even an article/section on this issue sources would be fine. Its less the fear of dmca and more the issue of verification of downloads we don't want to deal with. Kostas (talk) 22:03, 23 January 2025 (UTC)

24/01/25 Fitbit Sense and Versa 3 smartwatches getting the same exact treatment (not using the "add topic" button because captcha doesn't work, ticket already opened)

https://www.techradar.com/health-fitness/smartwatches/fitbit-issues-battery-overheating-warning-over-two-of-its-most-popular-watches-and-it-might-compensate-you-if-youre-affected TL:DR: firmware update and 50$ compensation for affected users what's interesting is that these smartwatches were released about a month after the Pixel 4a this might actually deserve its own thread... and maybe it's own video too. Anonymous (talk) 14:09, 24 January 2025 (UTC)