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The Google Pixel 4a is a mid-range smartphone that was released in 2020 at a time when Google was only promising to deliver software and security updates for three years. But earlier this month Google rolled out an unscheduled update that the company says was required “to improve the stability” of battery performance on some models.
It didn’t take long for many users to start reporting that the update actually ended up cutting their battery life in half. Not all Pixel 4a smartphones are affected though, and now we have a better sense of why thanks to some digging from Hector Martin (the lead developer of the Asahi Linux project).
While Google still hasn’t explained exactly why it decided to issue an update, Martin looked through the Linux kernel version in the software update and discovered that Google used two different batteries for the Pixel 4a. One is from a company called Lishen, while the other is from Amperex.
Users with a phone sporting the Amperex battery probably won’t see any difference after installing the update. But phones with the Lishen battery have the following changes applied:
- Max charge voltage drops from 4.44V before the update to 3.95V after.
- Batter capacity drops from 3,080 mAh to 1,539 mAh.
So the end result is that phones will charge more slowly and only hold half as much charge. While this may indeed increase stability (I honestly have no idea), it dramatically decreases real-world usability of the phone by cutting battery life significantly.
Unfortunately there’s no way to roll back the update, as Google has removed the download links for previous versions of the Pixel 4a firmware from its website.
Google does provide a few other options for affected users :
- Have the battery replaced for free at a walk-in center in the US, Canada, UK, Germany, Singapore, or India or take advantage of a mail-in repair program (US-only).
- Request a $100 Google Store credit that you can put toward the purchase of another Pixel phone or other hardware.
- Request a $50 cash payment.
Google has more information on how to take advantage of those “appeasement options” on the support page for the Pixel 4a software update and says it will continue to offer those three options until at least January 8, 2026.
via NotebookCheck and Android Authority