Pixel 4a Battery Update - Good news for whom?

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Brian Dean

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I have a Pixel 4a - a hitherto excellent phone. I very rarely make or receive 'phone calls and my usage is almost entirely through Wifi and Bluetooth. From a full battery charge I could get three days usage, but normally I recharged every other day when the battery level dropped below 50%.

A couple of weeks ago I received this email from Google :


Sure enough the update arrived and now my 'phone consumes battery power at around twice the previous rate. Not a show-stopper - I can still get a full day's use from a full charge - but it leads me to two questions :

1. What might Google have done that causes this increase in power consumption yet has improved the stability of my device?

2. Who has benefitted? Not me, I think, but I assume that some users gain from this. I don't see how this action will win Google more customers.
 

Sagenut

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If you go in Settings > Battery you should get even a list of consumption app by app.
So you will realize what is draining the battery more that others.
 
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AHilton

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The rate of battery usage hasn't gone up. The OS is simply adjusting the scale because the battery isn't being charged as fully as it had been. This is because the battery is getting old and it's unwise to charge it as much as it had been when newer. Other phone manufacturers have done this and more will continue to do this. It's nothing new; indeed, this has been standard practice for many devices over the years in order to prolong the life of non-replaceable (or hard-to-replace, as in remote sensors) batteries.

"Stability" = your phone isn't *as likely* to go up in flames or crash randomly because of power problems.

"Benefitted" = You. You can have a little extra use of your old device.

One of my programming phones is a Pixel 5a and it's, eventually, going to get the same treatment.
 
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Brian Dean

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Thank you @AHilton for that explanation. I had not come across this practice before. I have a couple of very old HTC phones that I still use as MP3 players and seem to hold their charge almost indefinitely, as well as many other rechargeable devices that maybe no longer hold their charge so well but don't go up in flames either.

So I am not impressed by Google's concern for my safety, and I am dubious about their motives. I would certainly have preferred to be given a choice, backed up with some statistical data, maybe.
 

agraham

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Have you checked if your device is eligible for a battery replacement. There are several links in this document which will take you to an eligibility checking page

Pixel 4a Battery Performance Program - Pixel Phone Help

January 6, 2025 Summary of program Google has determined that certain Pixel 4a phones require a software update to improve the stability of their battery’s performance. An automatic update to Androi
support.google.com
 
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Brian Dean

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Have you checked if your device is eligible for a battery replacement.
Click to expand...
Yes - I have and it is, and I must say that this seems a pretty fair offer on Google's part. But it means sending the device away for I am not sure how long. Instead I have taken their offer of a $50 sweetener payment. And if I am really being honest the idea of moving to a Pixel 7a, which I think looks a sensibly priced option, had crossed my mind. I suppose that I just find the phrase "to improve the stability of your battery performance" a bit devious.
 
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agraham

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Mine got the update, is not eligible and displays no difference that I can see in battery charging or lifetimes. As you have seen a difference and are eligible for replacement it looks like they had a batch of batteries that have degraded in a way not expected by the software so they have changed the software for the impacted devices to compensate for the degradation in affected devices and are rather sportingly offering a new battery.
 

rabbitBUSH

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Brian Dean said:
I suppose that I just find the phrase "to improve the stability of your battery performance" a bit devious
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And well you should do....that whole paragraph is counter-intuitive. I do a lot of technical editing and the number of times I come across 'shady' seeming text written by 'techical' copywriters forcing the user reading it to reread it 3 or more times to comprehend and decipher, is, frankly, despicable. They don't like it when I find a way to rewrite it - which - incidentally puts it into compliance with consumer legislation here - not that the vendors care.

All the conversations here about Google documentation puts it right in this zone - they just need to say: legally we told you - I can say : legally I didn't understand it.
 

Computersmith64

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I've finally given up on buying Pixels. I have been using them for a few years because they always get the latest Android versions (& betas) before any others - so it was worth having them to be able to update & test apps for the invariable changes Google is always making, but... My 1st gen Pixel's battery crapped itself after about a year, as did the battery in my Pixel 3a. My pixel 5's screen started detaching after about 18 months & my Pixel 7 fails to make or receive calls about 80% of the time. I've just ordered an Oppo Reno 8 to replace the Pixel 7 - which will be relegated to my ever growing pile of test devices. I'll never buy another Pixel as my primary phone.

- Colin.
 

Computersmith64

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Per my other comment - my Pixel 7 is atrocious for making & receiving calls. It fails about 80% of the time - regardless of whether it's using the cell network or WiFi. I'm replacing it.

- Colin.
 
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Brian Dean

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my Pixel 7 is atrocious for making & receiving calls
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Thanks for that information @Computersmith64, but I think that I should warn you that you are getting dangerously out of touch. When I read phone reviews I would say that the greatest attention is given to comparative prices and camera performance. Screen quality, physical size and build quality are highlighted only if they stray far from the average. Microphone and speaker placement and quality get no mention at all.

This, I believe, is because the term "mobile phone" is now outdated - nobody makes phone calls these days, or so I am told. I only use my device as a portable PC and my own "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy". So the Pixel 7a might still suit me well. You need to get into texting.
 

rabbitBUSH

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Computersmith64 said:
just ordered an Oppo Reno 8
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Be interesting to see how you experience that Oppo - I have one in daily use - and reviews warned they're slow - correct - for a multi -core device - gee! Also a couple of irritating things about the OS .... So I have developed mixed feelings about it.

Currently itooks like they are top 5 in the league tables - saw a graphic recently showing the Lies damned Lies....stats.

Edit - For the hell of it......
 
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Computersmith64

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Funny - actually I'm not a big phone user, but my wife likes to call me when she's driving to/from work & a lot of the time my phone doesn't even ring. Then I get a text saying I have a voicemail - which I can't check, because the phone won't dial out. I can try over & over & it just won't work. It was bad with Android 14, got worse with Android 15 & is almost unusable with Android 16 - so I feel that it's OS related more than the hardware. I guess I'm one of those old school people who believe that a phone should - at a minimum - be able to make & receive phone calls. Go figure...

- Colin.
 

Computersmith64

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Interesting - because the reviews I read said the Oppo 8 is fast. Oddly enough, for a mobile app developer I wouldn't consider myself a "power user". I use a few banking apps, Facebook, email (Thunderbird for my domain accounts & Gmail for my hotmail one), the odd bit of Google Maps navigation on my motorcycle, photos & videos & a couple of others, but I generally don't play games or do anything else very exciting with it. I'm not expecting too much from the Oppo, as long as it's reliable as an actual phone.

Interesting video about phone popularity.

- Colin
 
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