Google Pixel 4a's old firmware is gone, trapping users on buggy battery update • Hacker News Board

Re: Google Pixel 4a's old firmware is gone, trapping users on buggy battery update

#241

Post by saidinesh5 » Thu, Jan 30, 2025, 3:53 AM UTC

Lammy wrote: post #196

burningChrome wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>>> Unlock the bootloader, then install LineageOS, MindTheGapps, and Magisk. Unless you have researched this and are comfortable doing these things, this is not something that's easy to do. I bricked my OnePlus Nord100 not once, but TWICE trying to install Ubuntu Touch. It happened because the Nord100 shipped with a more current Android version (11.xx) and Ubuntu can only be installed over two very specific versions…

Do I misunderstand what Ubuntu Touch is? I thought it was its own thing whose only relation to Android was the BSP, not some type of layer on top of Android. If so then it seems irrelevant and unfair to bring up w/r/t the well-tested Android-to-different-Android path.

Unless your phone has full mainline kernel support (pinephone, librem 5, pocophone f1 etc...), All these Linux on phone projects mostly use Android system services (init, surfaceflinger, rild etc..) to talk to the device hardware, without bringing up the Android UI.

They do this so that they don't have to reverse engineer and write the hardware drivers from scratch and simply use Android's user space drivers for them.

I haven't been involved in that domain for a while, but it basically meant reusing the contents of your device's /system and /vendor partitions and simply installing the Linux OS into /data.

Re: Google Pixel 4a's old firmware is gone, trapping users on buggy battery update

#242

Post by saidinesh5 » Thu, Jan 30, 2025, 3:57 AM UTC

conaclos wrote: post #134

chasil wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unless your Pixel 4a is from Verizon (locked), keep it. Unlock the bootloader, then install LineageOS, MindTheGapps, and Magisk. Once you have Magisk stabilized, install the Advanced Charging Controller, and configure it to halt charging at 80%. That should solve your problems, and turn the updates back on. I don't think there is a way to make Google Pay work in this configuration, which is a drawback. I can put all…

> Once you have Magisk stabilized, install the Advanced Charging Controller, and configure it to halt charging at 80%. If we install LineageOS, should we worry about Google's firmware update? Then why bother with all these steps?

I think the comment is responding to the fears of..

"My most charitable view is that Google have found a major fault with the Pixel 4a battery and want to mitigate a repeat of the Galaxy Note 7 without saying it outright and causing a panic."

These lithium batteries usually last longer when you don't fully discharge them and fully charge them regularly. 20-80%. No idea why manufacturers don't just call that range as 0-100%.

Re: Google Pixel 4a's old firmware is gone, trapping users on buggy battery update

#243

Post by nyarlathotep_ » Thu, Jan 30, 2025, 3:59 AM UTC

hayd wrote: post #220

tristor wrote: post #191

Stuff like this is part of why I stick with iPhone. The Pixel 4A stopped receiving security updates just 3 years after release, and rather than being direct about what battery changes were made and providing reasonable pathways for people to replace batteries, this happens. Apple does stupid and shady stuff too, it is certainly not perfect, but Google has always had a cultural attitude permeating their organization s…

I just wish they had a smaller offering than the SE. (But seemingly this is the case for everyone nowadays.)

Hanging on to my 12 mini for that reason.

Re: Google Pixel 4a's old firmware is gone, trapping users on buggy battery update

#244

Post by kristopolous » Thu, Jan 30, 2025, 4:15 AM UTC

nullc wrote: post #206

kristopolous wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am still on a 4a. I really hate how in subsequent generations, they faithfully cloned Apple's design decisions of removing ports and making the device gigantic. "For customers who are dissatisfied with iphones, Our product is a slightly different iphone-like device." I mean come on now, what the hell... About twice a decade google makes a good phone and the others are just iphone knockoffs

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotelling%27s_law

Yes but these are physical locations, not personal objects.

The reason I don't choose a hotel 500 miles away is fairly obvious.

This also applies to parking lots for the same reason...

I think it's just cargo culting products. Apple made electronics sexy fashion accessories through their marketing, advertising and branding.

The problem is the misattribution of their success to the poor choices they have the customer loyalty to get away with.

Nobody has said "well thank God my new MacBook has no ports" or "I'm glad my battery isn't removable". The support column for these decisions is empty.

Re: Google Pixel 4a's old firmware is gone, trapping users on buggy battery update

#245

Post by Gee101 » Thu, Jan 30, 2025, 4:17 AM UTC

OliveMate wrote: post #75

Hi, (soon to be ex) Pixel 4a user here. Regardless of why this update has happened, the way Google have went about this update is sketchy at best, and deceitful at worst. To be plain: this phone has been EOL for 1½ years now. This update has appeared out of the blue and specifically decimates the battery + charging capabilities. My most charitable view is that Google have found a major fault with the Pixel 4a battery…

My Pixel 4a battery started swelling up recently. I assume it's a Note 7 problem they are trying to avoid. Google did pay me $50 for my phone which is not too bad.

Re: Google Pixel 4a's old firmware is gone, trapping users on buggy battery update

#246

Post by kristopolous » Thu, Jan 30, 2025, 4:25 AM UTC

m463 wrote: post #182

kristopolous wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am still on a 4a. I really hate how in subsequent generations, they faithfully cloned Apple's design decisions of removing ports and making the device gigantic. "For customers who are dissatisfied with iphones, Our product is a slightly different iphone-like device." I mean come on now, what the hell... About twice a decade google makes a good phone and the others are just iphone knockoffs

I think this is something apple doesn't realize. They used to have a really good human factors/ui team. I remember Bruce Tognazzini and reading his blog. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Tognazzini https://www.asktog.com/ I think I noticed around ios 7 things were getting bad. buttons didn't look like buttons, on-screen controls started being hidden, and form trumped function. Then like you said, ports disappeared…

Really I think technology lines can also suffer from Gramsci's interregnum.

Re: Google Pixel 4a's old firmware is gone, trapping users on buggy battery update

#247

Post by PaulDavisThe1st » Thu, Jan 30, 2025, 4:50 AM UTC

bmaupin wrote: post #102

I'm trying to figure out what the actual latest update is doing regarding the battery. I found an update to the kernel binary but it doesn't seem the source has been updated. Can I submit a GPL request to Google to get the kernel source? https://github.com/bmaupin/pixel4a-battery-research

Marcan is on it:

https://fosstodon.org/@marcan@treehouse.systems/113914172891...

Re: Google Pixel 4a's old firmware is gone, trapping users on buggy battery update

#248

Post by PaulDavisThe1st » Thu, Jan 30, 2025, 4:57 AM UTC

ausaus wrote: post #48

Sateeshm wrote: post #16

Best phone I've ever used. Still going great after 4 years. Don't know how long it will last. There doesn't seem to be anything available with similar form factor.

Replaced my 4a with a similar sized Moto Edge 30 Neo. Overall, much better hardware quality. I had a warranty replacement for the 4a due to cracks around the headphone jack, also happened to the replacement but that wasn't replaced. The Moto was half the price of the 4a and is still receiving updates.

.. and appears to be basically unavailable at this time.

Re: Google Pixel 4a's old firmware is gone, trapping users on buggy battery update

#249

Post by madduci » Thu, Jan 30, 2025, 5:23 AM UTC

There's one way to get off: move to Lineage OS or postmarketOS and enjoy the device further

Re: Google Pixel 4a's old firmware is gone, trapping users on buggy battery update

#250

Post by StressedDev » Thu, Jan 30, 2025, 5:54 AM UTC

j1elo wrote: post #51

I'm (we all are) constantly reminded to update our phones to latest available updates, but sh*t like this is what teaches users to instead disable and ignore updates indefinitely, under the premise of "if it works don't touch it" (addendum: "... because most probably an update will break it") And here I am, ignoring updates on my Pixel 6a since October 2024 (there were reports of crashes or bricking, what a surprise)…

If you ignore updates, you will get hacked. If you think a bad update is a problem, wait until you have to clean up a hack. It will cost more money and take more time than buying a new phone.

My advice is to buy phones from reputable manufacturers. I have had an iPhone for over 10 years and I have been very happy. The work well, last, and the performance is always good. My current goal is to keep my current phone 7 years. I will update it when Apple stops supplying updates.