"Sneaky" forced update for Google Pixel 4a

31 points by Tmpod 5 months ago | 6 comments
  • montroser 5 months ago
    The system seems fundamentally broken. Why can Google not just be transparent? It could read like,

    "Dear customer, to limit the risk of your aging battery catching fire, we are substantially degrading your usable battery capacity..."

    But instead, they both try and frame it as an improvement to "battery stability", and then also offer an "appeasement" in the form of a BS coupon. Obviously, you don't offer an appeasement for an improvement, so just call it what it is -- a degradation.

    Meanwhile, all these people that are installing LinenageOS, are they turning their phones into personal ticking firebombs?

    Is there a safety issue, or not? If there is, then it should be discussed. If there's not, then wtf is all this crippling of everyone's devices about?

    But as consumers we have very little leverage to affect change, and as a large corporation, Google apparently has little incentive to be transparent.

    • ChrisArchitect 5 months ago
      Related thread:

      Google Pixel 4a old firmware is gone, trapping users on the buggy battery update

      https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42865619

      • chasil 5 months ago
        Random Google engineer on personal machine trashes Pixel 4a batteries in GPL violation.

        Why are we buying your phones again?

        • Arnt 5 months ago
          The phone was sold with batteries from two vendors. The change affects one of them and not the other, and it makes the phone much more careful about how to charge and use that battery. I think the proper question is:

          What is it about that battery?

      • jalict 5 months ago
        This post is filled with important details, it is crazy.