Google's mandatory Pixel 6a battery management starts arriving next week
TL;DR Google updated the Pixel 4a for battery management concerns earlier this year.
We recently spotted Google planning a similar approach to battery failures on the Pixel 6a.
Google now shares its full Pixel 6a strategy, with an update heading out July 8.
Google's got a battery problem with Pixel phones. Early this year, we learned of Google's plan to issue a new update for the aging Pixel 4a, but rather than giving the phone a fresh version of Android, this update was all about trying to mitigate problems caused by the phone's battery overheating during charging, impacting battery life or even leading to fires. Then just a few weeks back we spotted evidence in Android 16 that suggested Google was planning a similar update for the Pixel 6a. Google ended up confirming that strategy, and today we start getting the full details on how this 'fix' is rolling out.
Just like with the Pixel 4a before it, today Google has posted a Battery Performance Program support page for the Pixel 6a. There, the company reveals that it intends to issue 'a mandatory automatic software update to Android 16.' This release will start going out to Pixel 6a phones beginning on July 8.
Don't like the sound of a mandatory update and are already getting ready to flash your Pixel 6a with a different release? Not a bad idea, but Google's clever, too, and earlier today Droid Life spotted Google deleting its public archive of Pixel 6a firmware images:
Alright, so if this is happening, like it or not, what does that mean for you and your Pixel 6a phone? Basically, Google has identified a class it's calling 'Impacted Devices,' which consist of some, but not all, Pixel 6a hardware. The company does not go into any great detail explaining what specifically differentiates an Impacted Device from one that's not, but presumably we're talking about battery or charge-management hardware.
If your Pixel 6a is not one of these Impacted Devices, you've got nothing to worry about — you'll get this mandatory update, sure, but your phone will keep right on working like normal.
If it is an Impacted Device, though, then the second factor comes into play: Once your handset completes 400 charging cycles, a new battery management system will kick into effect, limiting your charge and ultimately resulting in what will likely be reduced battery life.
While there's no way to disable that limit when operating your Pixel 6a with its original battery, there is a path forward from this, and Google invites Pixel 6a owners to check if their phones are eligible for battery replacements (or at least a compensatory cash payout).
Once there's a fresh battery installed in your Pixel 6a, you'll once again be able to charge it to its full, rated capacity. All told, none of this great, and it sounds like a headache that no Pixel 6a owners really deserve, but we can at least appreciate that Google is trying to get ahead of this after the whole Pixel 4a debacle, and hopefully prevent more fires before they happen.
Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at
Email our staff at news@androidauthority.com . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
15 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Google partners with Italy's Energy Dome on zero-emission power supply
MILAN (Reuters) -Italian energy storage firm Energy Dome said on Friday it had entered a commercial partnership with Google to supply carbon-free energy to the grids that power the operations of the U.S. tech giant. As part of the agreement, Google has made a strategic investment in Milan-based Energy Dome, which has developed a CO2 battery technology to support the energy transition through long-duration energy storage solutions, the companies said in a joint statement. They did not disclose the financial details. Google joins other investors in the Italian energy storage firm such as Oman's sovereign wealth fund and global tank storage operator Vopak. Google's first commercial long-duration energy storage deal is part of a growing number of advanced energy technologies the group needs to hit a goal to run its operations on 24/7 carbon-free energy by 2030. Energy Dome's CO2-based system stores energy by compressing and liquefying carbon dioxide, which is later expanded to generate electricity. The technology avoids the use of scarce raw materials such as lithium and copper, making it potentially attractive to European policymakers seeking to reduce reliance on critical minerals and bolster energy security. Energy Dome launched its first commercial-scale plant in Sardinia in 2022 with a view to completing it by the end of 2024, with a 24-hour cycle and a 20-megawatt capacity able to power 13,000-15,000 houses. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Axios
16 minutes ago
- Axios
Meta will no longer accept political, election or issue ads in EU
Meta on Friday said starting in October it will no longer accept political, election or social issue ads in the European Union, in response to new regulation that it says will cause "significant operational challenges and legal uncertainties." Why it matters: Google already said it would pull ads in the EU for the same reason. Campaigns and cause and appeal organizations will have a significantly harder time placing ads online without the ability to run them on the EU's two biggest digital platforms. Zoom in: Meta's decision comes ahead of the incoming Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising (TTPA) regulation that requires digital political ads to be labeled with information about how the ad is targeted, who is paying for it, how much it costs and which election or cause it supports. The law, which goes into effect this October, has faced criticism from digital ad companies for being written too broadly to implement accurately. Meta says the law "introduces significant, additional obligations to our processes and systems that create an untenable level of complexity and legal uncertainty for advertisers and platforms operating in the EU." Yes, but: The decision won't prevent people or candidates in the EU from posting about and debating politics on its platforms, the company clarified in a statement. Of note: Meta rival Google said last year the law is too broad, making it difficult to reliably identify political ads to label at scale. It also says there's a lack of reliable local election data available to apply to labels. Google has already pulled political ads from regions with cumbersome regulations, such as Brazil, France and Canada. The big picture: Digital behemoths like Meta and Google years ago introduced their own political ad transparency tools and databases to help make it clear to the public which political and social issue advertisers are buying ads on its platforms, how much they're spending, who pays for the ads and who the ads target.
TechCrunch
16 minutes ago
- TechCrunch
Google is testing a vibe-coding app called Opal
AI-powered coding tools have become so popular over the past few months that almost every major tech company is either using one or making its own. Makers of these so-called 'vibe-coding' tools are a hot commodity at the moment, with startups like Lovable and Cursor fending off buyers and investors keen to tap a hot trend. Google's now become the latest to hop on this bandwagon: the company is testing a vibe-coding tool called Opal, available to users in the U.S. through Google Labs, which the company uses as a base to experiment with new tech. Opal lets you create mini web apps using text prompts, or you can remix existing apps available in a gallery. All users have to do is in a description of the app they want to make, and the tool will then use different Google models to do so. Once the app is ready, you can navigate into an editor panel to see the visual workflow of input, output, and generation steps. You can click on each workflow step to look at the prompt that dictates the process, and edit it if you need to. You can also manually add steps from Opal's toolbar. Opal also lets users publish their new app on the web and share the link with others to test out using their own Google accounts. Google's AI studio already lets developers build apps using prompts, but Opal's visual workflow indicates the company likely wants to target a wider audience. The company joins a long list of competitors, including Canva, Figma, and Replit, that are making tools to encourage non-technical people to create prototypes of apps without having to do any coding.
