Consumer_Action_Taskforce

Pixel 4a Battery Performance Program

Revision as of 11:10, 19 January 2025 by ZenithHelix (talk | contribs) (Grammar.)

Quick Introduction & Background

The Google Pixel 4a is an Android smartphone designed, developed and marketed by Google. It was released on August 20, 2020 and reached its end of support on August 5, 2022.[1] On January 6, 2025, Google announced its Pixel 4a Battery Performance Program to users:

"Google has determined that certain Pixel 4a phones require a software update to improve the stability of their battery’s performance. An automatic update to Android 13 will roll out to all Pixel 4a devices starting January 8, 2025. For some devices (“Impacted Devices”), the software update reduces available battery capacity and impacts charging performance. [...] users of these Impacted Devices are eligible for an appeasement from Google."[2]

Compensation

Request Form Sent Out to Users

Google has asked users to provide the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) number of their Pixel 4a to determine whether their device is an "Impacted Device".[3] If the user's device is an "Impacted Device", they may choose one of the following:

  • Free battery replacement (only available in: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, Singapore, and India)
  • $100 USD (or local equivalent) discount code applicable towards the purchase of another Pixel phone on the Google Store (unavailable in certain countries)
  • $50 USD (or local equivalent)[2]

Compensation will be unavailable after January 6, 2026.[2]

Editing of Initial Announcement

By January 15, 2025 the following edit had been inserted into the original January 6 announcement:

"Note: Carefully select your appeasement option as after you choose, you can't change it. You may have statutory rights available to you under laws of the country where you purchased the device. If available to you, you may alternatively make a claim pursuant to those."[4]

Aftermath of Software Update

Users with "Impacted Devices" who have received the update have reported severely decreased battery capacity and other performance issues.

In a Reddit poll posted on the r/Pixel4a subreddit, 170 out 212 respondents stated that their device had been identified as an "Impacted Device" by Google.[5]

Criticism by Community

The following concerns have been raised regarding the Pixel 4a Battery Performance Program:

  1. This update is an automatic update users can not opt out of.
  2. Google's communication on what the problem with "Impacted Devices" is and how the update seeks to remedy it has been vague.[6]
    • While there is widespread speculation about a battery manufacturing fault, Google has yet to comment on the issue.[7] As of January 29, 2025, the TSA (Transportation Security Administration), which has banned hazardous devices such as the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 in the past, allows the Pixel 4a to be taken onto an airplane like any other cell phone.[8] This indicates that on an official level, the Pixel 4a's battery is considered safe.
  3. The $50 USD compensation is to be paid out through Payoneer, which may charge the user an account fee of 29.95 USD if 12 months pass without the user receiving an equivalent of 2,000.00 USD in payments.[9]
  4. The $100 USD coupon code cannot be used in conjunction with other coupon codes or sales. [10]
  5. Some users have reported that their phone's battery is capped despite changing their batteries either before or after the update.[11]
  6. Some users have accused Google of intentionally degrading the performance of an older product to push consumers to buy new phones (see: Planned Obsolescence), noting similarities to the Apple iPhone's "batterygate" scandal in 2017.[7]

See Also

References

  1. ↑ https://endoflife.date/pixel
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/15701861 Mirror, via the Wayback Machine: https://web.archive.org/web/20250107002112/https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/15701861
  3. ↑ https://support.google.com/pixelphone/workflow/15642495 (unavailable after January 6, 2026) https://www.theverge.com/2025/1/7/24338566/google-pixel-4a-battery-stability-replacement-reduced-capacity
  4. ↑ January 7, 2025, via the Wayback Machine: https://web.archive.org/web/20250107002112/https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/15701861 January 15, 2025, via the Wayback Machine: https://web.archive.org/web/20250115045948/https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/15701861
  5. ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/Pixel4a/comments/1hvmggd/pixel_4a_battery_update_google_says_some_phones/
  6. ↑ https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/01/good-news-bad-news-pixel-4a-is-getting-an-update-but-it-reduces-battery-life/
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 https://www.theverge.com/2025/1/7/24338566/google-pixel-4a-battery-stability-replacement-reduced-capacity
  8. ↑ https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/all-list
  9. ↑ https://payoneer.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/43738/~/annual-account-fee
  10. ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/Pixel4a/comments/1i2zz4g/100_google_store_voucher_code_cannot_be_combined/
  11. ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/Pixel4a/comments/1i1e4ds/i_have_replaced_battery_in_a_local_shop_not/ https://www.reddit.com/r/Pixel4a/comments/1i19hxf/replaced_the_battery_but_still_the_warning/ https://www.reddit.com/r/Pixel4a/comments/1i2xm7c/i_change_my_battery_a_month_before_the_upgrade/
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