Damn. Never knew batteries catch on fire when angry.
Another Google Pixel 6a catches fire after battery-nerfing update
Submitted 8 months ago by solrize@lemmy.ml to technology@lemmy.world
Comments
Capricorn_Geriatric@lemmy.world 7 months ago
dudesss@lemmy.ca 7 months ago
I got an extra 30% battery life after switching to GrapheneOS. I’m guessing whatever is saving my battery, would also bring down the load on the system.
I did notice my phone heats up much less after switching to GrapheneOS.
mazzilius_marsti@lemmy.world 7 months ago
plan to buy a pixel just to put Graphene on. Which one do you have and any problems?
tamal3@lemmy.world 7 months ago
Graphene lists all the pixel models they support and for how long. grapheneos.org/faq#device-lifetime
Finally had to ditch my 3a this month because Google is psychotic and it’s too old for graphene or lineage. Sucks bc the phone still works great. I’ve temporarily got an 8a running graphene, and am loving it, but will be switching to a 9a shortly for non pertinent reasons. It is such a weird feeling of relief to be on a secure OS.
dudesss@lemmy.ca 7 months ago
I have no recommendations for versions. Depends in your case.
Although I’ll mention that some people don’t like that Pixel by default doesn’t include the bottom menu on the screen, and uses other swiping features on the screen to do the same thing.
However in your system settings you can change the UI to gave the navigation menu at the bottom of the screen similar to Samsung.
InternetCitizen2@lemmy.world 7 months ago
I’ve got a 7 and works great
pHr34kY@lemmy.world 7 months ago
I’ve been runnnng GrapheneOS with charge capped at 80%. Phone has not emulated thermite.
I haven’t found any discussion about the battery issues at GrapheneOS yet.
pineapplelover@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 months ago
I have kinda bad battery issues on graphene and have been having it even on my old pixel 5 (currently on pixel 8a).
Could it be because I use google play services? Maybe I’ll get a huge decrease in battery consumption if I cut this off. But I do need it for maps and stuff
tamal3@lemmy.world 7 months ago
Meaning you charge till 80% full, or at 80% max charging speed? just curious.
mastod0n@lemmy.world 7 months ago
Just here to confirm this comment from personal experience.
moseschrute@lemmy.world 7 months ago
These updates are fire!
ipkpjersi@lemmy.ml 7 months ago
Maybe they should do a recall.
Xatolos@reddthat.com 7 months ago
They already have. support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/16340779?hl=…
ipkpjersi@lemmy.ml 7 months ago
A battery exchange program is not quite the same thing as an actual product recall.
daw@feddit.org 7 months ago
Oh shit I didn’t hear about the 6a also being fucked.
I lost my 4a to their shenanigans, couldn’t get it repaired and have now a Xcover 6 pro which I bought refurbished. Best modern phone: swappable battery, headphone jack, long software support, micro sd
solrize@lemmy.ml 7 months ago
4a didn’t have swappable battery iirc.
daw@feddit.org 7 months ago
Yes, that is why i switched to the Xcover which has
mesamunefire@piefed.social 7 months ago
I have one of these phones. Google has reached out and I applied for the $$ to get a tradein, but google has yet to give me the $$ or contact me further. Its been a while too.
Honestly, I got the 6a because it was going to be supported for a long time compared to other phones. This rubs me the wrong way.Vinstaal0@feddit.nl 7 months ago
Considering it is a Google phone their long term support is still crap compared to things like Fairphone or even iPhone.
But it sucks that this happens and I hope they contact you for a trade in. Rules are also changing so all phones need to have a minimum lifespan of 5 years or so
kadup@lemmy.world 7 months ago
Considering it is a Google phone their long term support is still crap compared to things like Fairphone or even iPhone.
At least it beats Samsung, I’m not buying any product from them ever again
nouben@lemmy.ml 7 months ago
Already received it here, did you follow the procedure on payoneer ? That took me about a week to get my money. Got a fairphone now instead 😎
shaggyb@lemmy.world 7 months ago
I have owned 3 pixels.
5a - bricked randomly 8 - screen failed within 6 months 6a - stuck in a bootloop, gave up on fixing it just before the battery issue made headlines
I gave them a fair shake. Never again.
WalterLego@lemmy.zip 7 months ago
I had the 3a for three years, passed it on to my son who used it three more years. Bought a 6 after the 3a, used it for three years and passed it on to my son. I am typing this on my 9a. Never had any issues on any of those phones. Either I have been very lucky or you got two rotten apples.
SheeEttin@lemmy.zip 7 months ago
The 8 had known screen issues, and they were fixed even out of warranty. After six months it would have been within warranty, so you definitely should have been able to get that fixed. I know, I had to have mine replaced too.
I’ve had a 4, 6, and 8. No issues. But I know that if I do have hardware issues, Google will address them like these screen and battery issues.
shaggyb@lemmy.world 7 months ago
During which time I have no phone.
Not acceptable. Bought something else.
PraiseTheSoup@midwest.social 7 months ago
Before the pixel existed I owned a Google Nexus 5 which was manufactured by LG and to date that was the worst phone I’ve ever owned. I guess my point is it doesn’t matter who is manufacturing the hardware; if Google is involved it’s gonna be junk.
lka1988@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 months ago
Really? The Nexus 4 was my favorite device to date. I pushed mine to its limits, it was great. Even took a trip through the washing machine and still kept ticking.
ragas@lemmy.ml 7 months ago
The Nexus 4 was a great phone in my opinion.
Had it rooted and everything for about 6 years.
ArsonButCute@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 months ago
I had a Nexus 5 (also LG) and it was the best I’d had for years. Ran lineageOS on it (maybe it was CyanogenMod still I can’t remember) but that thing was the shit.
I left it on top of my car once and ended up destroying it. Swapped the modem into an EU model (the modem and GPS module survived, all other components failed) and had basically a brand new phone afterwards.
MBech@feddit.dk 7 months ago
I don’t agree. Many of the cheaper phones are pretty shit and barebones. I’ve had Samsung flagship phones for years, and they have never disappointed me. Friends and family have had the cheaper Samsung phones, and they have been pretty hit and miss. You just kinda get what you pay for. Wanna pay €200 for a phone? You get something that can barely turn on, that’s it.
spookedintownsville@lemmy.world 7 months ago
Put my IMEI into the link and it says I’m not eligible. Does this mean I’m in the clear? Should I still do something about my battery? I’d really rather not get another phone right now…
SheeEttin@lemmy.zip 7 months ago
Your battery is not one of the defective ones, then.
spookedintownsville@lemmy.world 7 months ago
Nice. That’s all I needed to hear.
ThePowerOfGeek@lemmy.world 7 months ago
I put my IMEI in and it said I was eligible. But then it gets stuck in an infinite loop of support links with no option out (at least when I selected to get a replacement battery).
I think I’m just going to get a new phone and move on. Not a Pixel though. Fuck this noise. My wife had a Pixel 5a and the motherboard fried itself after a couple of years. Google sent her a Pixel 6a replacement about 2 months later (long after we’d found her a non-Pixel replacement). So I upgraded to that replacement for in a 4a. But now this battery/fire bullshit? I’m done with their shitty products and their shitty support!
SpiceDealer@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 months ago
Look, Google, I know you’re trying to compete with Samsung but this is a little too hot.
lka1988@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 months ago
Note 7 lurking in the distance
Electricd@lemmybefree.net 7 months ago
They’re going after GrapheneOS users!
dudesss@lemmy.ca 7 months ago
My battery is lasting about 30% + longer with GrapheneOS. Plus my phone heats up less.
Electricd@lemmybefree.net 7 months ago
I find that it heats up quite easily, maybe it’s just that the pixel isn’t super good. I’m on a 7a though
zephiriz@lemmy.ml 7 months ago
Just a reminder if you have a 6a you can get ~100$ or battery replacement. Its a bit of a hassle but not to hard to fill our claim. I for my 100$ ordered a 7 and installed Graphene OS.
SuperCub@sh.itjust.works 7 months ago
I submitted for $100 dollars, but haven’t gotten any instructions on what to do. I read you’re supposed to register for some payment system, but the Google instructions don’t tell me how and what to do after.
zephiriz@lemmy.ml 7 months ago
After checking you qualify it should have a link telling you to create an account ( payoneer, I’m in the US not sure about others). Filling out the forum for payoneer was a pain need bank info. I had to use chrome as Firefox would load their forums properly. Also takes about a day for payoneer to confirm my account then if you filled our googles stuff payoneer just kinda knew and dropped the money in my account.
pHr34kY@lemmy.world 7 months ago
In Australia, one option is a cash refund for more than what I paid for the phone when new.
YouthHearted@lemmy.zip 7 months ago
Thanks for the tip, I thought it was $100 USD but just checked and I’m eligible for $452 USD for a 6a that was free when I purchased a 7pro… Insane
Armand1@lemmy.world 7 months ago
Dude. I just bought a used 6A last week.
D_C@sh.itjust.works 7 months ago
I think, but 100% on this, that not all 6a’s were affected.
Patch it to the latest update. If you get a notification about your battery then it’s probably fucked.
forrgott@lemmy.sdf.org 7 months ago
All 6s users hey a warning you might be affected. They give you a link you have to follow to check. Load the page, you’re in your IMEI and it will confirm if you’re affected
Zaphod@discuss.tchncs.de 7 months ago
I still have an old Pixel 7 Pro lying around, which I had recently used to setup a second SIM. Every time I turned it on it immediately overheated for no fucking reason. Wasn’t even connected to a charger.
Tempus_Fugit@midwest.social 7 months ago
Really? I’ve had a 7 pro since launch and it’s still working great. The battery is definitely getting long in the tooth and the type c port doesn’t hold a cable like it used to, but overall still a capable phone. The camera array is still pretty great too.
SirSamuel@lemmy.world 7 months ago
Old? I have a 7a and i just bought it from Google…
Checks notes
Two years ago.
Shit. I guess that is old in phone years
Next you’ll be saying people born in the eighties are old
shortwavesurfer@lemmy.zip 7 months ago
I was thinking about going with a pixel for my next device so that I could use graphene because I’ve used pixels in the past and they were fine but with all these battery issues I’m having serious second thoughts.
surewhynotlem@lemmy.world 7 months ago
They are doing free battery replacements. So at least they’re doing the right thing.
SpaceCadet@feddit.nl 7 months ago
The battery of my Pixel 6 started to bloat and leak last week. I contacted support. After a bit of back and forth where they asked me to provide proof of purchase and pictures of the phone, they sent me a brand new Pixel 6 and told me to just recycle the old one.
I reported the issue on Tuesday, received the new phone on Friday. That’s not bad support for a 4 year old device that’s long out of warranty. I fully expected them to tell me to go F my self.
Raiderkev@lemmy.world 7 months ago
Uh, big oof, that’s my phone model.
LemmyThinkAboutIt@lemmy.zip 7 months ago
You might want to check if they’ve recalled it, I believe I saw an article today that said Google was recalling the pixel 6a because of this.
Raiderkev@lemmy.world 7 months ago
Yeah, the other day, I left it charging in the car while I was doing chores. I came out and the phone was scalding hot. I chalked it up at the time to it being hot in the car, and the fact probably shouldn’t have been charging at that temp. Now I’m tripping on if this thing is a time bomb.
BarrelAgedBoredom@lemmy.zip 7 months ago
I replaced my battery in my pixel 6 late last year and I noticed my battery life took a shit recently. I thought I got a bad battery or something and was considering replacing it again
kameecoding@lemmy.world 7 months ago
I think when your battery takes a shit, you should probably replace it.
BarrelAgedBoredom@lemmy.zip 7 months ago
Unless a “battery takes a shit” update comes out around the same time your battery takes a shit
alsu2launda@lemmy.world 7 months ago
Or if it took shit recently you should check when was last software update.
solrize@lemmy.ml 8 months ago
I just want a comeback of phones with swappable batteries.
Kaiserschmarrn@feddit.org 7 months ago
As far as I know, this will be the case in the EU in 2027.
DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works 7 months ago
That’s for “easily replaceable” batteries, not necessarily swappable, as in pop off the cover and insert new battery.
The new Fairphone 6, for example, requires a screw driver to open up the phone, and that would meet the legal requirements of the EU law.
jmf@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 months ago
Typing this on an samsung xcover 6 pro right now. Costs less than 200 used, has a removable battery, up to 1tb micro SD card support, and a headphone jack.
ipkpjersi@lemmy.ml 7 months ago
Seems like it has a 778G SoC too which would be pretty solid for emulation as well. That’s an interesting option!
kalpol@lemmy.ca 7 months ago
Does it run lineage, because that is the only way I’ll touch Samsung’s abysmal OS ever again
a1studmuffin@aussie.zone 7 months ago
GreenKnight23@lemmy.world 7 months ago
fairphone does that.
mesamunefire@piefed.social 7 months ago
Its 900$ where im at. I can get 3 phones for the same price. Terracube 2 apparently does too, but last time I had a fairphone, it failed pretty bad. Literally fell apart and no software updates at all.
solrize@lemmy.ml 7 months ago
600 euro, not so helpful. Thanks though.
real_squids@sopuli.xyz 7 months ago
Didn’t HMD make a couple of those too? Obv not the same country of origin but from what I’ve seen they’re considerably cheaper
KiloGex@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Glad I ended up ruining my 6A attempting to replace the battery and had to upgrade.
Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 8 months ago
people still uses the 6A? it was hasty replacement for the defective 5A.
Zarxrax@lemmy.world 8 months ago
I was going to opt for a battery replacement, but I called the local store that does the replacement, and they told me that it’s common for the screen to break during the battery swap process. And if they break the screen, I would be on the hook for the cost to replace it, around $160. I don’t know how that is even legal in the first place, but it certainly turned me off from wanting to let them change my battery. And mailing the phone in for a battery swap would leave me without a phone for weeks…
onlyhalfminotaur@lemmy.world 7 months ago
Even if you mail it to Google, they will make you pay for the screen before they will do the swap. That’s what happened with my 4a. I had them ship it back instead and took the cash.
Zarxrax@lemmy.world 7 months ago
What do you mean? Did your phone already have damage to the screen, or they were making you preemptively pay in case the screen broke?
timbuck2themoon@sh.itjust.works 7 months ago
I too don’t understand why you would be responsible for THEM breaking the screen.
Imagine your mechanic breaks a part while changing your oil then says you’re responsible for the cost of it.
Peppycito@sh.itjust.works 7 months ago
You’ve got a better mechanic than me I guess. If you bring in an old shitty car for repairs you can expect more than one thing is in bad shape.
Taiatari@lemmy.world 7 months ago
At least they were upfront about that issue.
Concave1142@lemmy.world 8 months ago
I just got rid of my Pixel 6a because it had one of the bad batteries. Tip to anyone taking advantage of the trade in rebate, DO NOT get the $150 Google Store credit and be like me thinking you can use it on the Google Fi Store to purchase a new Pixel. The $150 store credit is only towards the purchase of a Pixel phone via the Google Store. Take the $100 cash rebate option instead because it tells you once you choose either option, you cannot change it.
My hope was to get the Pixel 9a on my account for $249 (activation discount) on my account and then use the $150 store credit… nope.
etherphon@piefed.world 7 months ago
Meanwhile they're getting full cash back in Australia from a recall, mine didn't even qualify for the battery rebate so I'm sitting here in uncertainty with a degraded battery. Never again.
const_void@lemmy.ml 8 months ago
Google is a horrible company. Stop buying their phones and using their services.
sem@lemmy.blahaj.zone 8 months ago
Why would they make it worse
rc__buggy@sh.itjust.works 8 months ago
Well that’s just great.
Here’s the website to see if your PIxel6a is an “impacted device”. Mine isn’t, not sure why… zero transparency on this.
itsgroundhogdayagain@lemmy.ml 8 months ago
My battery sucks after this update. Once I get down to 30% it free falls.
Randomgal@lemmy.ca 7 months ago
I think they realized in time that rheyr planned obsolescence was gone to be too fucking obvious and chose to give out free money instead.