Summary
- Google confirms battery overheating issue with Pixel 6a, will release software update.
- Update will reduce battery capacity and charging speed after 400 cycles, mirroring Pixel 4a.
- Reports of Pixel 6a units catching fire; Google to contact impacted customers next month.
The Google Pixel 4a was recently in the news, but not for good reasons—an update had apparently completely nerfed the phone’s battery life, making it essentially unusable. Now, this might also be what happens with the Pixel 6a.
Google has confirmed that a subset of its Pixel 6a smartphones will require a mandatory software update to address a potential risk of battery overheating. The update will introduce battery management features that intentionally reduce the battery’s maximum capacity and slow down charging speeds after the device has undergone 400 charge cycles. In theory, this means that the Pixel 6a’s battery life will be significantly lowered, and it will charge more slowly, an almost identical scenario to what infamously happened with the Pixel 4a. In short, if things are handled the same way, it’s going to be very controversial.
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At least two separate incidents of Pixel 6a units reportedly catching fire were documented over the past month. In May, and again just last week, people on social media and tech forums shared disturbing images of their severely melted and damaged Pixel 6a phones. In response to those reports, and in light of the fact that this seems to be a widespread issue, the Android 16 QPR1 Beta 2 has code strings suggesting that a similar battery nerfing update to the one that arrived on the Pixel 4a will be coming to the Pixel 6a. In a statement to Android Authority, Google confirmed the news, going on to add that:
A subset of Pixel 6a phones will require a mandatory software update to reduce the risk of potential battery overheating. The update will enable battery management features that will reduce capacity and charging performance after the battery reaches 400 charge cycles. We’ll contact impacted customers next month, with all the information they need to address the issue.
As much as this is technically a good move in paper (a phone with not ideal battery life is certainly preferred over a phone that explodes), the Pixel 4a update was infamous for tons of other reasons, including the increased battery drain sticking around even after you got a battery replacement. If this is going to be the case with Pixel 6a users, they might as well try and get a new phone while they’re at it. Once we have more details on what Pixel 6a users could expect from this whole thing, we will let you know, but it’s certainly not looking too good right now.
Source: Android Authority
