Google's recent update for the Pixel 4a has sparked outrage among users due to its drastic impact on battery life. The update, marked as an Emergency Maintenance Release, has reportedly reduced the usable battery charge by over 40%, and also slowed down the charging speed. The update's sudden release and lack of transparency have fueled speculation about Google's motives, with some accusing the company of planned obsolescence.
If you're a Pixel fan, you've likely heard about the Pixel 4a battery fiasco that occurred last month. In essence, Google abruptly released an update that significantly diminished the 2020 Pixel 4a's battery performance. This move triggered widespread criticism, suggesting planned obsolescence for a phone that functioned flawlessly before the problematic update. The update rendered some Pixel 4a devices practically unusable, with battery life plummeting drastically.
Hector Martin, a developer at Asahi Linux, discovered that the aforementioned update lowered the maximum charge voltage of the battery (his findings were initially published in a since-deleted post). Further investigation by Android Authority revealed that the maximum voltage had been reduced from 4.45V to 3.95V. At first glance, a 0.5V drop might seem insignificant, but this reduction translates to a staggering 44% decrease in the usable battery charge. This is due to the way lithium-ion batteries operate. In simple terms, they are designed to function within a specific voltage range. The lower limit, also known as the 'cutoff voltage', of the Pixel 4a's battery is 3.3V. As the battery discharges, the voltage drops, eventually reaching 3.3V. At this point, the phone automatically shuts off to prevent battery damage. The new 3.95V voltage corresponds to only 56% of the battery's full charge capacity before the update. Essentially, Google is now limiting the battery to charge only to 56%. But the woes don't end there. The update also reduced the charging speed. Li-ion batteries are typically charged at a current defined by a 'C' value. For instance, 1C charging on a 5,000mAh battery would mean 5,000mA of current flowing into the battery. Google's original charging protocol for the Pixel 4a allowed up to 1C of current, which would be 3,080mA. However, this value has reportedly been halved to 1,540mA, resulting in a noticeable decrease in charging speed (0.5C, right?). Furthermore, the update introduced several functional changes. The battery charge ETA is now disabled, meaning you can no longer see an estimate of when your battery will be fully charged. This feature appears to have been disabled because the AI model behind the estimate was not updated for the reduced battery capacity. Additionally, the Adaptive Charging feature, which aimed to prolong battery life by learning your charging habits and slowing down charging when possible, has also been disabled, likely for the same reason. You are also unable to set the Pixel 4a to display battery percentage in the status bar from settings. However, if you had previously enabled this feature, it will remain active, although it will not provide accurate information as it hasn't been updated to reflect the new capacity. Adding to the mystery, the update wasn't a standard release – it was marked with an Emergency Maintenance Release (EMR) status. This type of build bypasses the usual certification processes required for other updates and was reportedly built manually on a developer's computer. According to an Android Authority source, the bug tracker entry for the update lacked details, only bearing the cryptic title 'sunfish (the codename for the Pixel 4a) sunset EMR'. We may never know the precise circumstances surrounding this event. However, the EMR status indicates that Google acted hastily to deploy the update, suggesting a possible underlying reason. While it might seem implausible, it's unlikely that Google's motivation was solely to encourage users to upgrade from their Pixel 4a. There might have been a safety concern addressed through this update. This implies that something was amiss, although the nature of the issue remains unclear (hopefully not a Galaxy Note 7-like situation!)
GOOGLE PIXEL 4A BATTERY UPDATE PLANNED OBSOLESCENCE EMERGENCY MAINTENANCE RELEASE EMR BATTERY LIFE CHARGING SPEED
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