The Pixel 6a comes with a SIM ejector tool, a quick switch adapter, a USB-C to USB-C cable, and of course, the phone. But with recent battery issues, maybe Google should consider bundling a fire extinguisher with future iterations of its Pixel A-series models.
Because over the past year, at least five Pixel 6a units have caught fire. And we’re not talking about “fire” in the colloquial “this phone is fiyah” kind of way. We’re talking battery-swelling, chassis-melting, display-popping literal flames. One user woke up to the smell of smoke. Another had to toss their flaming phone into the toilet.
To be clear, these Pixel A-series battery issues aren’t isolated accidents. They come on the heels of Google issuing software updates that deliberately nerf the battery performance of both the Pixel 4a and 6a, supposedly to avoid overheating. But yet here we are. Melted phones and no official recall in sight. Just a quiet Battery Performance Program that we’re not sure actually works.
Which makes you wonder: are corners being cut somewhere, and are users paying the price? And is this Google’s Samsung Galaxy Note 7 moment?
The Pixel A-Series Proposition: Great Value, Until It Isn’t
Google’s Nexus phones were all about clean software, no gimmicks, and fair pricing. That spirit carried over briefly into the early Pixel years, before prices started climbing to match Apple and Samsung. Suddenly, “pure Android” came with a premium. Call it the Google tax.
The A-series was supposed to be the answer to that. Budget-friendly, stripped-down, and smart. You didn’t get the latest hardware, but you got the Pixel experience, such as timely updates, great software, and the same camera magic. It was the sensible choice, especially in today’s economy.
But now the batteries are swelling, melting, and catching fire. And that value proposition? It’s starting to look more like a liability.
To hit those budget-friendly price points, Google clearly had to make compromises. And maybe, just maybe, those corner-cutting decisions are finally catching up. The Pixel 4a and 6a are now both on battery-throttling life support.
Worse, this isn’t just an A-series problem. Even the flagship Pixels have been riddled with hardware issues: screens showing pink lines, fingerprint sensors that barely register, phones that overheat under light use, camera bars literally popping off the Pixel 9. Let’s not forget, software issues that have not been addressed for half a year.
These are not isolated incidents. It’s starting to feel like a pattern of inconsistency and poor quality control.
From Battery Throttling to Battery Fires
The Pixel A-series battery issues didn’t start with the 6a. It started with the 4a. Earlier this year, Google quietly pushed a software update that throttled battery performance, citing overheating concerns. Charging got slower, and battery life went into the toilet. The fix was a limited battery swap program or $50–$100 in Google Store credit. More on that later, but it wasn’t exactly generous.
In Australia, the situation escalated. The ACCC issued an official recall, warning that the Pixel 4a’s overheating battery could cause fires or burns.
Then the Pixel 6a caught fire, literally. At least five cases have surfaced so far, including one phone that already had the safety update. Another unit melted into a user’s clothes while charging overnight.
Google’s response came in the form of a software patch called the “Battery Performance Program.” After 400 charge cycles, it slows down charging and caps battery use to reduce risk. But it doesn’t always work. And even when it does, it leaves users with a crippled device. In some places, replacement batteries aren’t even available.
So users are stuck with a choice: live with a phone that is a shell of its former self, or buy a new one. Either way, Google escapes liability, and users are left holding the fire hazard.
No Recall, Just Risk Management
So far, five Pixel 6a units have caught fire, with one of them catching fire after receiving Google’s so-called “Battery Performance Program” update. The fix was supposed to prevent exactly this. It didn’t. And yet, there’s still no recall, no formal investigation, and not even a warning page pinned to Google’s own support site.
Instead, Google quietly pushed out a software update that throttles battery capacity after 400 charge cycles and called it a day. The ACCC echoed this, telling users that as long as they update their devices, they’re fine, and that “Consumers do not need to return their devices.” But “fine” doesn’t describe phones that melt, explode, or burn through clothing.
Google is lucky no one’s been injured. Yet. But are they really going to wait for that headline before taking action? Are they going to wait until someone shows up in the ER with third-degree burns? Do they really want to have that scrolling across the news ticker in the evenings?
Unlike Samsung, Google doesn’t have the luxury of a dozen different smartphone lines. There’s no “Pixel Lite” brand to sacrifice. If one Pixel burns a hole in someone’s pocket, literally, it scorches the entire brand. Samsung ultimately killed off its Note series, but it still had the Galaxy S-series to fall back on. It also has its budget-friendly Galaxy A-series that drives most of its revenue.
This is when Google needs to get proactive. Issue a recall. Make it right. Because if they don’t, they’re not just risking battery fires, they’re risking the reputation of every Pixel to come. At this point, I wouldn’t feel comfortable recommending a Pixel phone to anyone.
Loyalty, Punished
Google’s idea of “compensation” for these battery issues is a choice: $50 in cash, or $100 in store credit toward a new Pixel. On paper, it looks fair. But in practice? Less so.
The cash can be used freely. The $100 voucher, on the other hand, cannot be stacked with sales, according to a customer posting on Google’s support forums. Try to use it during a discount, and the voucher gets absorbed into the sale price. This essentially makes it worthless. You pay what everyone else pays, and your “compensation” evaporates.
So if you chose the voucher thinking it was the better deal, you’re punished for wanting to stay loyal to Google. That’s exactly what happened to the original poster, who detailed how they planned to keep their phone for another year or two, but were forced to replace it early due to Google’s software update throttling the battery. They chose the voucher in good faith. However, little did they know it would trap them into paying full price for a phone that anyone else could get cheaper.
When they asked Google Support for help, they got copy-pasted policy replies that completely ignored the issue.
That’s just bad business ethics. Google broke these phones and then tried to spin a bait-and-switch as compensation. What happened to “You break it, you fix it”? The message is clear: Google thinks it’s indispensable to the point where brand loyalty can kiss its colorful behind.
Maybe it’s time we start taking our money elsewhere.
Conclusion: Google Needs to Wake Up
Google can’t keep treating the Pixel A-series battery issues like they’re just another support ticket. Throttling the Pixel 6a’s battery might lower the odds of it bursting into flames, but it doesn’t change the fact that it ever could in the first place. That alone should’ve triggered a recall. Instead, we got silence, store credit, and half-hearted firmware updates.
And it’s happening while Google pours money into its custom Tensor chips, ramps up Pixel availability worldwide, and tries to convince us it’s serious about hardware. But you can’t ask people to buy into the Pixel brand when your response to literal fire hazards is a $100 Play Store voucher.
That’s not how you treat customers who are willing to spend their hard-earned money on your product.
Most people who bought a Pixel A-series phone just wanted a reliable, affordable device. They didn’t sign up for hidden battery throttling or the risk of waking up to smoke. If Google wants to compete with Apple and Samsung, it needs to grow up and take responsibility. That means real transparency, actual fixes, and an apology that isn’t buried in a firmware changelog.
Because right now, it’s not just batteries that are catching on fire, it’s everything the Pixel brand was supposed to stand for.
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