Google Pixel 4a’s update kills its battery life on purpose

Google Pixel 4a has long been considered but he just received a software update that calls this into question. Update . This is not a side effect of some new software. This is the actual purpose of the update.

Wait, what? Google says automatic software updates to Android 13 will “reduce battery life and charging performance” but will need to “improve stability” for each device. This is the only explanation the company has offered. We turned to Google to find out the specific reason why this was necessary.

There is a silver lining here for current Pixel 4a owners. While every Pixel 4a will receive automatic updates, only some devices will experience reduced battery life and charging performance. There’s no word on which phones will be affected by the update, but owners of so-called “affected devices” will have several “appeasement options” to choose from.

People can send in a phone for a free battery replacement, but it will require the owner to go without the phone while Google handles the replacement. If that’s not practical, the company will send affected owners $50 or give them a $100 credit toward a new Pixel phone from the Google Store. Pixel 4a owners have one year to choose one of these options.

Chances are, nothing bad is going on and the Pixel 4a’s batteries are simply aging, just like a phone released in 2020. This means that they may not provide all the power required by the current OS. A software update may be intended to prevent unexpected behavior or shutdowns, and reduced battery life is an unfortunate side effect.

This all sounds suspiciously like when in 2017. However, Apple has not been transparent with consumers during this entire fiasco. . At least Google seems to be ahead of the curve, even if it could be a little more transparent.