Google Pixel 6a gets urgent update to prevent fire risk, overheating
Product Safety Australia said incidents involving Google Pixel 6a devices have resulted in 'serious burn injuries'.
A mandatory update has been pushed to a number of phones to reduce the risk, and devices only need to be updated rather than returned.
A range of Google Pixel smartphones have been recalled over risks they could catch fire and burn users. Picture: Supplied
The firmware update was released on 8 July, which included battery management features which mitigate the risk.
Not all Pixel 6a devices are affected by the issue, and the new battery management system will be activated once affected devices reach 400 battery cycles.
People whose phones are affected may be eligible for compensation from Google, and can check online to see if they can get a repair, cash payment or discount credit.
The phones have been sold at major retailers across the country, including Telstra, Optus, JB Hi-Fi, Officeworks and Harvey Norman.
The affected devices were sold between 16 June 2022 and 10 April 2025.
Brendan Kearns
Cadet Journalist
Brendan Kearns is a cadet journalist with News Corp Australia. He has written for The Australian, the Herald Sun, the Geelong Advertiser, CHOICE, Cosmos, and The Citizen. He won Democracy's Watchdogs' Student Award for Investigative Journalism 2024 and hosted the third season of award-winning podcast Uncurated. He studied as Master of Journalism at The University of Melbourne, before that he worked as a video producer and disability worker.
@brendandkearns
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