Summary
- In January 2025, Google Pixel 4a devices received an unexpected update impacting battery health.
- Australia has responded to the phone’s degraded battery performance by issuing a recall notice.
- Affected users can contact Google for appeasement, which could include a repair, payment, or a future discount.
In January 2025, Google rolled out a rather confusing update for the Pixel 4a. It said it was launching a Pixel 4a Battery Performance Program aimed at improving “the stability of [the] battery’s performance.” There was a big catch, though: Not all Pixel 4a devices would see improvements. Google said some devices would instead notice a decline in their battery health (among other battery-related issues), bad enough to be eligible to ask for a free battery replacement.
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Google’s Pixel 4a update will surprise users in more ways than one
But Google is providing free replacement for affected users
A report from Android Authority gives deeper insight into a potential reason behind Google’s battery update two months ago. Apparently, the Pixel 4a batteries were at risk of overheating, and the Battery Performance Program was meant to reduce the chances of that happening by lowering the maximum voltage for units with power cells made by a supplier named Lishen. The seemingly slight reduction from 4.45V to 3.95V resulted in more than a 50% drop in capacity for affected users.
Australia says goodbye to the Pixel 4a
Now, a recall notice from the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission is adding insult to injury. Australia picked safety over Google’s 2020 budget Pixel phone, issuing a statement which reads:
An automatic firmware update to Android 13 was rolled out to Pixel 4a devices in Australia on 8 January 2025. The firmware update provides new battery management features to mitigate the risk of overheating. An overheating battery could pose a risk of fire and/or burns to a user.
The statement also includes steps affected Pixel 4a owners can take to receive an “appeasement” from Google. First, it’s made clear that this will only apply if the device received the firmware update that impacted battery life. Beyond that, users are directed to Google’s repair, payment, or future discount site where they can check if their device has one of the affected batteries and, if so, initiate a claim to be compensated.
Outside of the initial post explaining the update and potential repairs for affected users, Google has largely remained silent on this issue. We have reached out to the company for a statement, and will update this story if they respond.
