- Some Pixel 6A units have soon much worse battery performance
- Affected users may require a free battery replacement, or may be able to get cash
- Other pixel models could be next on line
Usually, software updates bring desirable new features or bug fixes, but an upcoming Google Pixel 6A update can actually make your phone worse.
Google has announced that it will roll a mandatory update to some Pixel 6A models that “will reduce battery capacity and charging performance” when the phone reaches 400 charging cycles. So if your phone is not yet at 400 charging cycles, these changes will not kick in yet, even when you’ve downloaded the update.
However, there are good reasons for these changes, with Google that this will “reduce the risk of potential overheating of batteries that may pose a risk to users” – and we know how it can play out as there have been several reports of Pixel 6A devices catching fire.
Still, a battery that is charging slower and needs charging more often than before is not exactly desirable to users.
This update starts rolling out on July 8 as part of Android 16 – so at least you get some Android 16 goodies to go with your battery adjustment.
Interestingly, only some Pixel 6A devices get these new battery control features’. It’s unclear why it is – maybe Google used different batteries in some versions of the phone, but to see if yours are affected, you can go to this support page.
If so, you have some options other than just putting up a battery adjustment.
First, if you are in the UK, us or choose other locations, then Google will let you get a battery replacement free of charge. Alternatively, you may require either a discount on a new pixel or a cash payment – although the exact amount of cash/discount and accessibility of these settings has not yet been published.
Not the first and maybe not the last
Proxously Google Pixel 6A may not be the last device that gets this battery debilitating update. It was not the first where Google uses a similar update to some Pixel 4A models back in January, so that’s reason enough to believe that more models can endure this in the future.
But that is not the only reason to believe that this could also apply to other models, as Android Authority has also found proof in a demolition of the Google app app that devices with poor battery health will be forced to use the company’s battery health aid function, reducing capacity and charging speeds when the battery is aging.
This feature is so far optional except in the case of Google Pixel 9A, which has it permanently activated.
The only silver lining for all this – apart from these changes that minimize the risk of your phone capturing fire – is that at least in case of Pixel 6A and Pixel 4A, these mandatory battery updates have only used to select devices.
So it is possible that your phone has a less troublesome battery that never needs these changes, but it will rather sound like Google may want to change some of its battery suppliers.
