Google Pixel 6a Owners Angry After Update That ‘Killed' Phone
Earleir this month, Google began rolling out its battery throttling update for Pixel 6a devices affected by a bug that has caused overheating and, in some cases, fires. Predictably, this has not gone down well with Pixel 6a owners.
In a popular thread on the Google Pixel Reddit sub, the top comment summed up the community's frustration. 'It killed my battery, now I have to get a new phone. Yippee.' On another thread (there are a few), another commenter said that 'Google killed my 6A. Never had any issues with it, woke up to it refusing to charge...'
If you missed the news, Google began rolling out a mandatory update on July 8th that throttles the battery of the Pixel 6a. This is in response to reports of overheating phones that surfaced earlier this year. A similar problem hit the Pixel 4a, with the update ultimately limiting the phone's battery life to a couple of hours.
The new update reduces Pixel 6a battery capacity once it hits 400 charge cycles, or if the device is identified as one affected by the problem. The Search company will replace your battery for free, depending on where you live, give you a discount on a new Google phone or cash compensation.
While some users have taken the opportunity to get a newer Pixel phone, some are sceptical. 'I was tempted to just go back to Samsung but decided to give Pixel another shot,' one affected Reddit user said. Others, however, are done with Google phones. 'Went for the $100 cash payment and moved to another phone and will not be looking back to Pixels for a long time.' Another repeated a common sentiment, 'yeah, no more Google for me. Only now I understand how deeply I rely on all Google products.'
The issue for Google is that this isn't the first Pixel phone to suffer from battery overheating issues, which has then led to a compensation offer from the company. The Pixel 4a dealt from a similar problem, while some Pixel 7a owners complained about swollen batteries last year. Google's fix for the Pixel 4a also resulted in an update that throttled the phone's battery life.
In both cases, a free battery replacement or money towards a new phone was offered. In the case of the Pixel 7a.
That's a track record that doesn't inspire much trust. One Pixel 6a owner on Reddit also made a good point about Google (and Samsung's) promise of software support for seven years. It doesn't mean much if a mandatory battery throttling update—that dramatically reduces the phone's functionality—can be rolled out when a serious bug is unearthed. Essentially forcing users to upgrade.
Take Advantage Of Google Pixel 6a Trade-In Deals
If you're affected and willing to give Google phones another go, there are some money-saving options on the table. Google will pay out $150 store credit for affected Pixel 6a users, or $100 cash.
Either could be combined with a trade-in if Google is running a decent deal. The Search company's current prices are not good, offering $75 for the Pixel 6a. But only last month, Google U.K. was paying a huge £384 ($512.46) for the budget phone. That deal has ended, but the Pixel 10 launch will almost certainly come with pre-order discounts and enhanced trade-in prices. Keep an eye on the Google Store, or hit the follow button below, to get the latest information on Google's next trade-in promotion.
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