Google Pixel 4a's Ruinous 'Battery Performance' Update Is a Bewildering Mess (arstechnica.com) 26
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: What exactly is wrong with the batteries in some of Google's Pixel 4a phones still out there? Google has not really said. Now that many Pixel 4a owners are experiencing drastically reduced battery life after an uncommon update for an end-of-life phone, they are facing a strange array of options with no path back to the phone they had.
Google's "Pixel 4a Battery Performance Program," announced in early January, told owners that an automatic update would, for some "Impacted Devices," reduce their battery's runtime and charging performance. "Impacted" customers could choose, within one year's time, between three "appeasement" options: sending in the phone for a battery replacement, getting $50 or the equivalent in their location, or receiving $100 in credit in the Google Store toward a new Pixel phone. No safety or hazard issue was mentioned in the support document.
Google did not explain why only certain devices were affected, but Hector Martin -- of Asahi Linux on Apple silicon, open source Kinect drivers, and other fame -- took apart the update's binary kernel and has some guesses. Martin points out that the updated Pixel 4a kernel has these interesting characteristics:
- It seems to have been built by a Google engineer "on their personal machine, not the proper buildsystem."
-- There is no source provided, as would normally be required of a Linux kernel build, though it may only need to be provided on request under the GNU General Public License.
- The maximum charge voltage of certain battery profiles changes from 4.44 volts to 3.95, which would mean batteries cannot charge to anywhere near their former potential.
- There are two main battery profiles, with distinct "ATL" and "LSN" markers; Martin suggests they relate to Amperex Technology Limited and Lishen, manufacturers of battery cells.
- LSN-tagged batteries assigned the "debug" profile can see capacity reduced from 3,080 milliamp hours (mAh) to 1,539 mAh. The big question is why Google pushed an automatic update to a phone from 2020. "No news or community reports have surfaced yet of Pixel 4a devices causing fires, or even simply failing to function, after four years," writes Ars' Kevin Purdy. "It's an automatic update with a strong fix, but for what?"
Google's support page only states that the update will "improve the stability of their battery's performance."
Google's "Pixel 4a Battery Performance Program," announced in early January, told owners that an automatic update would, for some "Impacted Devices," reduce their battery's runtime and charging performance. "Impacted" customers could choose, within one year's time, between three "appeasement" options: sending in the phone for a battery replacement, getting $50 or the equivalent in their location, or receiving $100 in credit in the Google Store toward a new Pixel phone. No safety or hazard issue was mentioned in the support document.
Google did not explain why only certain devices were affected, but Hector Martin -- of Asahi Linux on Apple silicon, open source Kinect drivers, and other fame -- took apart the update's binary kernel and has some guesses. Martin points out that the updated Pixel 4a kernel has these interesting characteristics:
- It seems to have been built by a Google engineer "on their personal machine, not the proper buildsystem."
-- There is no source provided, as would normally be required of a Linux kernel build, though it may only need to be provided on request under the GNU General Public License.
- The maximum charge voltage of certain battery profiles changes from 4.44 volts to 3.95, which would mean batteries cannot charge to anywhere near their former potential.
- There are two main battery profiles, with distinct "ATL" and "LSN" markers; Martin suggests they relate to Amperex Technology Limited and Lishen, manufacturers of battery cells.
- LSN-tagged batteries assigned the "debug" profile can see capacity reduced from 3,080 milliamp hours (mAh) to 1,539 mAh. The big question is why Google pushed an automatic update to a phone from 2020. "No news or community reports have surfaced yet of Pixel 4a devices causing fires, or even simply failing to function, after four years," writes Ars' Kevin Purdy. "It's an automatic update with a strong fix, but for what?"
Google's support page only states that the update will "improve the stability of their battery's performance."
Re: (Score:3)
By offering money to affected customers or offering free battery replacements? Did you:
a) not have a clue what is going on
b) not apply any thought before posting your conspiracy theory
c) take all the drugs
Re: IMHO Its intentional Sabotage to force upgrade (Score:2)
They are only 'giving' money to upgrade to pixel phones not on sale and the amount is less than a class action suit would get the customers if they had refused the deal
Fire (Score:3)
According to Security Now from a week or two ago the replacement battery program is including some kind of special fire-resistant mailer for the returned batteries.
The range of battery models seems limited and people are getting new-old stock replacements which has added confusion.
It is speculated that Google isn't sure what is causing the problem and is being ubercautious while it tries to figure this out and change the oil in the car while underway.
One guy on here yesterday said he is so mad about this overly cautious approach that he's switching his whole companuy to iPhones (instead of 4a's...?)
Nothing about the situation is clear. Somebody has a secret we don't know.
Re: Fire (Score:4, Insightful)
Sounds like the phones should be recalled and bought back, Note 7 style.
Re: (Score:3)
It seems to only be the 4a models and not the 4a (5G) models.
Re: (Score:3)
I have 4a 5G and I've not recieved any update..
Forced, non-security firmware updates should be ou (Score:4, Insightful)
There should be rollback mechanisms for all devices, regardless of the purpose of the update.
Over the years, I have had Samsung phones drop support for Chromecast in Smartview, Enphase solar gateways start requiring cloud to operate, numerous printers from Brother, Canon and Epson start misbehaving with 3rd party ink/toner, Netgear Orbi APs that stopped working in some rooms or with some client devices. And these are just the ones off the top of my head right now. None had a supported way to roll back. Most had no way to stop the updates, also, short of cutting network access, making them useless.
There really ought to be a law. I'm very doubtful someone in Congress will take this up.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
I have not tried LineageOS. I messed with alternate distros as far back as the first Android phone, the HTC/T-Mobile G1. Cyanogen is what I used. I wouldn't call it easy. I just checked Lineage. It doesn't support my husband's Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, unfortunately. That's been out of support for a little over a year. That's the phone on which the Smartview Chromecast feature was removed in an update. On my S22 Ultra, it works, and I can cast device audio to Chromecast groups with Smartview. On his pho
Re: (Score:2)
Re: Forced, non-security firmware updates should b (Score:2)
I bought Samsung phones mainly because the hardware feature set suited me better. For example, they had microSD slots for storage for the longest time. Pixel did not. The Note 20 ultra still does. I had one too, but it corroded and I bought the S22 ultra to replace it. It's a great phone, except for the 128GB storage. No slot to insert my 512GB microSD card. Most decent phones in the US have eliminated them. I may need to buy something from abroad got my next phone is order to have that slot. I don't want t
Re: Forced, non-security firmware updates should b (Score:2)
And i didn't expect to be able to use FOSS bistro when I bought the phone. Just expected it to keep working, without feature removal. And keep security updates going for the number of years specified. For the price they are charging for their flagship, I thought those were reasonable expectations, but they aren't able to meet them.
Batteries must not be user-replaceable... (Score:3)
My pixel 4a is going strong, with LineageOS (Score:2)
Running a Pixel 4a. Hardware version says MP1.0. I read somewhere that this update was for certain models of the 4a, ones without 5G? Not sure. Anyway, my phone is quite old now (bought refurbished), and I've been running LineageOS the whole time. Battery life is pretty respectable for my needs. Usually has 40% when am ready to head to bed, but I'm not a heavy phone user.
I'm honestly surprised this phone has lasted so long for me. I work in a pretty harsh environment for phones and before this one I had
Re: (Score:2)
My 4a with 5G shows no update, so I think it is only the non-5G models.
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My pixel 4a is going strong
Hopefully with this mysterious battery situation, the old Irish Spring TV ad doesn't apply:
"Aye, a might too strong!"
Re: (Score:2)
I've been running LineageOS the whole time.
Me too, on an old Samsung A520. Lineage, or Graphene if you have a Pixel and are so inclined - are the way to go. I update as and when I wish, don't have Google services, and don't use the Play Store.
I'm not sure what I want to replace it with as I don't really want to get anything bigger.
I hear you - my A520 is also too big, and the 6a I bought but haven't yet installed LineageOS on is bigger still. I want a phone, not a phablet. For bigger screens I also want a keyboard - that's why I have a laptop. For me a phone is just that, and apps are just a convenience, not a go-to. Let's start a moveme
Re: My pixel 4a is going strong, with LineageOS (Score:2)
swelling batteries (Score:3)
I've been using the Pixel 4a as a corporate device for a few years. Almost 100% of them have swollen batteries after about 3 years. I've one battery fire on one where I tried to remove the swollen battery, these are very unsafe to handle in any way. The result of the firmware update is almost no battery capacity.
They'll keep on doing it (Score:3)
As long as almost everyone keeps buying phones over whose OS and updates they have no control, phone makers will keep getting away this kind of shit. If you "buy" a phone for which the provider can "alter the deal", then you didn't really buy it - you just paid them for your ability to carry it around and use it. If they can alter its function without your permission, then it isn't really your phone.
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As long as almost everyone keeps buying phones over whose OS and updates they have no control, phone makers will keep getting away this kind of shit. If you "buy" a phone for which the provider can "alter the deal", then you didn't really buy it - you just paid them for your ability to carry it around and use it. If they can alter its function without your permission, then it isn't really your phone.
I'll assume good intent here. What do you propose as an alternative?
can't argue with that (Score:2)
Well to be fair, zero is very stable!
Jokes aside, the kernel tear-down does make it look like several changes were made that were each individually detrimental to battery life, and taken all together could be downright devastating.
And the tinfoil hat would remind us that it's very much in their financial best interest to lower the value and utility of old phones in order to boost sales of their new
Funny that.. (Score:2)
"improve the stability of their battery's performance."
I guess we should take the opposite of "improve the stabilty".. I've got a 4a 5g and I put my IMEI in the page that shows if your phone is going to get the update, and it tells me "this is not a Pixel4a IMEI", so I guess the 5G's are not going to get it.. Thank goodness...