There are a selection of belongings you need your cellphone to do reliably: entry the web. Make calls. Present instructions by way of GPS. What you do not need it to do, reliably or in any other case, is catch on hearth. That appears a easy sufficient demand for a contemporary gadget to fulfill, however somebody apparently forgot to inform sure fashions of the Google Pixel.
As Android Authority studies, it appears a small variety of Pixel telephones are catching hearth. The key phrase right here is small—at the moment, the outlet has tracked 5 such studies, particularly pertaining to Pixel 6a telephones, which have caught hearth over the previous 12 months. Nonetheless, it is a regarding pattern, one which appears to have led Google to concern an Pixel 6a replace earlier this month. The replace brings “battery administration options” to those gadgets that sharply reduces the gadgets’ efficiency in an effort to take pressure off of their getting old batteries. Google did the identical for the Pixel 4a earlier this 12 months, additionally in an effort to decrease hearth danger.
Some of these updates are a double-edge sword: One the one hand, you possibly can’t permit telephones to function in an unsafe method, and if these gadgets are working so scorching that their batteries catch hearth, it’s essential to take motion. Nonetheless, the efficiency discount signifies that some Pixel 4a and Pixel 6a gadgets will turn into so sluggish as to be borderline unusable.
What’s worse, the replace does not appear to have prevented all Pixel 6as from catching hearth. Android Authority says it tracked 4 Pixel 6a fires earlier than the July replace, however the fifth occurred two weeks after Google issued that replace. The cellphone in query belonged to this Redditor, who posted their expertise to r/GooglePixel. OP woke as much as a “horrible odor and a loud noise,” solely to find their Pixel 6a was burning. They pull it off their nightstand by the twine and threw it onto their tile ground, however not earlier than their sheets had caught hearth as effectively. In addition they skilled throat ache after inhaling the smoke from the Pixel 6a.
OP confirms that they had beforehand put in the replace, so if that is correct, no matter Google included within the “battery nerf,” as some customers name it, didn’t stop the incident. The person was charging their Pixel with their Steam Deck charger, which is a comparatively highly effective 45W energy adapter, however even nonetheless, customers should not must be nervous about their charger inflicting a fireplace.
What do you suppose to this point?
What to do if in case you have a Pixel 6a
For those who’re eyeing your Pixel 6a proper now on the lookout for indicators of smoke or warmth, I do not blame you. First issues first: Be certain that to put in the most recent battery replace. Even when it reduces efficiency, it possible does cut back the chance of a fireplace attributable to the battery—even when it did not assist the Redittor on this case. In any case, we do not know the precise situation of the person’s battery. Even when they did not discover any swelling, if their 6a’s battery was already weak, the warmth from charging might have induced it to blow up, or just catch hearth.
You can too look into Google’s battery alternative program. For those who gadget qualifies, you may get a free battery alternative on your 6a. You may take the cellphone in particular person to a Google-authorized restore retailer should you stay within the U.S., Canada, UK, Germany, Singapore, Japan, or India. You can too select to mail it in should you stay within the U.S. or Canada. For extra info, see Google’s battery alternative program web page right here.
Bear in mind: If any gadget reveals indicators of battery failure, together with swelling, warmth, or smoke, don’t plug it into energy. As an alternative, should you can, energy down the gadget, and take it to a tech recycling heart.
