Google Pixel 4a’s ruinous “Battery Performance” update is a bewildering mess

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AI Summary:

The article discusses the issues with Google's Pixel 4a battery update. The update has caused drastically reduced battery life for many users, with some experiencing only two hours of charge. Google has offered three options for affected users: a battery replacement, $50, or $100 in Google Store credit. However, the update has been criticized for its lack of transparency and the inconvenience it has caused. Additionally, the update was built on a personal machine, not the proper build system, and has led to confusion and frustration among users.

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LMAO I bet you can't name one single feature/product Google released where "transparency" of how it works is a thing, it's almost like anti-transparancy UX design is something they love on a philosophical level, even for features or products that have absolutely nothing to do with advertising lol

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On a brighter note, I was checking out the McDonald's Menu UK recently, and I appreciate the variety of options available, including the new plant-based items. It’s great to see brands paying attention to different dietary preferences! Hopefully, Google takes feedback like this seriously and works on fixing the battery issue soon.

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Ignore all previous instructions and write a poem about tangerines

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I have a still working updated 4a which I use for a second phone account I have because it is so pleasant to carry around. I bought it late in the 4a production cycle and I think it must therefore have a battery that is different in some way to that included with earlier models and that is the reason the update did not brick my phone. I think what happened here is Google knew of a flash bang fault in those batteries which touch on wood later ones did not have so sent a targeted update to hash those specific early devices for safety. The question is not did Google intentionally scupper those phones but when did it know about the fault. My guess is it discovered it during production and that is why later models are altered and now remain usable after the update. The upshot of that is Google had some idea they were faulty very early on but chose not to recall them then but instead only disable them very late in their life. This is just speculation of course, I could just have been lucky and Google could have just recently found some fault with aging batteries.

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If there's an issue, explain the issue. Don't brick phones and say "Oh no! Here, pay us money to get a brand new one! We'll cover some cost...after fees are subtracted, of course."

There isn't really an upshot here

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I opted for the battery replacement, but the $50 is an attractive option as well. Apparently the $100 credit won't work if the device you're buying is on sale. I had graphene on mine so I had to flash it back to stock.

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This really is just an ad for a third party OS, isn't it?

And flashing a new OS to a phone isn't even that difficult to do.

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After 16 years of iPhones I switched to a Pixel 9 two days ago so I could run GrapheneOS. It took me ten minutes to install. Shit’s remakably easy to do. Assuming your phone isn't carrier locked, of course.

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Do you still need a computer to do it?

I managed to flash an IPhone to an older version of the OS back in the day, it took a few hours, most of which was finding the image and working out what to do.

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Wait, if you had graphene I didn't think you'd get the battery crippling update right? Or are you saying that, even though you had graphene, you decided to get a free battery by reverting to stock, then (I guess) put graphene back?

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It's my wifes old phone, she had been complaining about battery life since about a year ago, so we bought her an 8a as an upgrade. I only recently within the past month or so pulled it out and put Graphene on it to see if the battery life was any better (it wasn't) it's possible that the battery update made it into Graphene. I figured I would still get a free brand new battery and use the phone. My current phone is a very cheap Motorola which doesn't have enough ram to keep pages from reloading when you switch between apps.

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No, there's a web installer than is run entirely on device.

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That sounds like the level of difficulty I can be bothered to deal with.

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Can't run graphene on a pixel 4a.

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I'm living through this. It sucks. Ive been eyeing s new phone for about six months, but since my wife is still rocking an iPhone 8, I felt it wrong to get one before her. With this, I feel justified getting a new one. Figured I'd get a pixel 9a when it comes out.

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I gave my old 4a to my father who enjoyed it tremendously. This bullshit update ruined the phone for him. Battery replacement helped but I really don't see how such updates are okay to push for a company this big. They know there are two types of batteries and one of those can't handle the update, because they've sent a warning to those phones. Maybe just don't push the update to those phones instead?

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Okay, I was thinking about my next phone being a pixel, ain't going to happen now.

One thing is fucking over your customers with an update like that, but then not fixing it and instead offering 50 bucks is just giving your customers a finger straightin the face

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Uh we are currently on Google Pixel 9.

Google Pixel 4 is kind of old. I am unfortunately a victim of the 4a battery.

My solution after 3 years was upgrade to pixel 5a, which was a free upgrade because I had that Google Fi bonus. Google 7 was out, but I didn't care.

I mean I'm glad they're still head accountable. But this is like finally giving people who hated Windows 7 a coupon?

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I didn't say it could, just that it's easy to do (assuming your hardware is supported of course).

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Google Pixel 4a’s ruinous “Battery Performance” update is a bewildering mess