Huge free battery upgrade being handed out to owners of this popular smartphone
This comes after some users reported their phones catching fire
Users are being alerted to a huge free battery upgrade that is being handed out to owners of this particularly popular smartphone.
If you own a Google Pixel 6a then you will be one of the people in for this update, which is actually mandatory to all users.
This is due to a small number of people reporting that they have been experiencing overheating with their devices, with some even reportedly catching fire.
This upgrade is currently being rolled out, which will reduce the device’s battery capacity after 400 charging cycles.
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Users will receive an alert after 375 charging uses to let them now that the new battery management features will be coming into effect soon.
In a statement, Google admitted that this might result in batteries lasting ‘for shorter periods between charges’ as well as having ‘reduced charging performance or short-term changes to how the battery-level indicator on your phone shows your battery capacity’.
On the website, the tech giant continued: “All Pixel 6a devices will receive a mandatory automatic software update to Android 16, with roll-out starting on 8 July 2025, but only Impacted Devices will receive the battery management features.
“Some users will see changes sooner than others, because the battery management features activate only after an Impacted Device reaches 400 charge cycles.”
However, it’s not all bad news because impacted by the change will be able to get a battery replacement.
Many people have taken to social media to share their reactions to the news after some users revealed that they had received an email informing them about the update.
On Reddit, one user wrote: “I think they might have discovered some fault with the quality of certain batches of batteries and this is a repair program. The update is a fix to not let the batteries blow or something and they think you should change the battery or upgrade, whichever is more comfortable for you.”
Another said: “Got one too. An odd email, thought it was spam. Why would I want to update to that if it decreases the battery life?”
And a third person added: “It looks like you can't opt out of the update, but a few clicks further, you're offered a free battery replacement (or at least I was), which seems pretty good.”
If you’re not sure whether your device is one of the affected ones, you can find out if your phone qualifies here.