Google Pixel 4a: Update reduces battery capacity more drastically than suspected

On January 6, Google announced an Android update for the Pixel 4a. This was surprising, as the Pixel 4a was launched in 2020 and was therefore already far behind its three-year support period. In the announcement, Google spoke of an update to "improve the battery performance of the Google Pixel 4a" because it had been determined that some devices "require battery performance stabilization". It then went on to say, not so positively, that the update would result in reduced battery life and longer charging times for some devices.

Google began installing the new Android version on smartphones on January 8. Affected customers then reported in web forums about the sometimes massive drop in battery life. Google is offering them a battery replacement, compensation of 50 US dollars or a discount of 100 US dollars on the purchase of a new Pixel smartphone.

No details on fixed problems

Google does not reveal any details about the battery problems fixed by the update in the announcement. It only vaguely states that you can continue to use your phone safely and as usual after the update. The question as to the reason for this remains intriguing, as neither Reddit nor other large communities have reported any issues such as bloating or excessive heating of the battery.

The vehemence with which Google is forcing the update on Pixel 4a owners is therefore surprising: On the Android Developer website, you can find all images of all published Android versions for all Pixel and even old Nexus devices. For the Pixel 4a, all images, except for the current version, have been removed with the battery patch, so that even experienced users can not manually downgrade their Pixel 4a.

A very unusual update

This has prompted many users and programmers to take a closer look at the update. One of them is software developer Hector Martin, who shared his analysis on Mastodon. He comes to the conclusion that there are several things about the update that seem unusual. For example, he describes that the update was not compiled on the usual build system, but on the computer of a Google developer. He also describes that the commits in the Android sources do not fully reflect the patches of the new version. He also criticized unusual flags and options during compilation.

In the source code, Martin found indications that the charging voltage had been lowered from 4.44 to 3.95 volts –, apparently to conserve the battery, which explains the longer charging time. He also discovered that there are two battery profiles for the Pixel 4a. Apparently, the phone was manufactured with batteries from two suppliers. Only the batch from one manufacturer is affected. The original battery capacity of 3080 mAh is halved to just 1539 mAh, which explains the massively shorter runtime.

In principle, it is commendable that Google continues to attach importance to product safety beyond the end of support. However, the vague explanation and the findings from the analysis of the update leave a bland aftertaste. Regardless of this, it may be the better option for affected users to accept the refund or discount. The Pixel 4a is technically outdated and no longer receives security updates, making a battery replacement the worse solution.

(spo)