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

androidcentral.com

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

#331

Post by scarface_74 »

lern_too_spel wrote: post #283
StressedDev wrote: post #254

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple is no where near as invasive as Google. Most sites on the Internet phone home to Google. Here are some examples: https://securepubads.g.doubleclick.net/ https://news.google.com/swg/js/v1/swg.js - I found these on the Washington Post's web site. https://fonts.gstatic.com/s/opensans/v20/cJZKeOuBrn4kERxqtaU... https://www.googletagmanager.com/static/service_worker/51n0/... - I found these on New Egg's home page. h…

You will get tracked by those even if you use an Apple device. The key difference between Android and iOS is that Android gives users the ability not to be tracked. iOS (even MacOS) doesn't even let you uninstall Apple News. iOS won't let you get your location or install an app without telling Apple. It won't even let you run a browser other than Safari, which has known data leaking vulnerabilities. User control is t…

You very much can remove Apple News just like any other app on iOS.

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

#332

Post by scarface_74 »

fsflover wrote: post #264
StressedDev wrote: post #250

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 y…

> My advice is to buy phones from reputable manufacturers. You mean those slowing down your phone on updates [0] and not providing critical security updates in time [1] while not allowing existing more secure alternative browsers [2]? The true alternative is phones running mainline Linux. Sent from my Librem 5. [0] https://www.npr.org/2020/11/18/936268845/apple-agrees-to-pay... [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?i…

You realize the other option was your phone shutting off entirely?

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

#333

Post by scarface_74 »

fsflover wrote: post #279
StressedDev wrote: post #277

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My iPhone is over 5 years old and has not slowed down. When Apple did slow down phones, it was because the battery was aging and it could not produce enough power to power the CPU at full speed. Apple had two choices: 1) Reduce the CPU speed so the phone did not crash 2) Not reduce the CPU speed and let the phone crash when the battery could not produce enough power. I think Apple made the right choice.

The case in my link clearly shows that many people have a different opinion.

You would rather your phone shut off?

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

#334

Post by scarface_74 »

zrobotics wrote: post #327
scarface_74 wrote: post #315

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, it’s not “the same thing”. Apple throttled the phones because the alternative was the phone shutting off. It wasn’t a software bug. It’s physics that when a battery got old and you tried to run the phone at full speed, the battery couldn’t handle it.

How is that different? Apple 'throttled' the phones by reducing charge amperage and reducing battery capacity in software. TBH I think what Google did here is also bad, this should definitely trigger a system popup with an opt in/out. However, Apple did exactly the same thing, initially denied it, and people are still defending them years later. (edit):typo

The alternative was that the phone would shut off completely. Apple did not make the phone worse.

So the pop up should be “Wouid you like your phone to shut off randomly?”

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

#335

Post by scarface_74 »

littlestymaar wrote: post #328
scarface_74 wrote: post #315

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, it’s not “the same thing”. Apple throttled the phones because the alternative was the phone shutting off. It wasn’t a software bug. It’s physics that when a battery got old and you tried to run the phone at full speed, the battery couldn’t handle it.

You're repeating Apple's PR talking point, but we know it's not true. Why? Because we have a counterfactual observation: in France there's a law against "planned obsolescence" and to comply Apple never pushed their update here. And not only French IPhone kept working, but everybody could disable the speed nerf by switching their location to France on their phone. And it turns out that the phones handled it without is…

So are you saying that batteries don’t degrade over time causing random cut offs?

And if that were the case, how do you explain this as far as France?

https://www.theverge.com/2020/2/7/21127984/apple-iphone-batt...

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

#336

Post by s4i »

netghost wrote: post #56

This destroyed my phone, and their appeasement process was terrible too. There was no way for me to find out whether there was a supported repair shop nearby, the $50 cash was apparently through a very dodgy company, and then $100 google store credit didn't disclose that it's "upon review within three weeks" until after you irrevocably chose the option. The whole thing is ridiculous and poorly handled. Sadly, if my p…

I was a Nexus/Pixel user for 10+ years. Majority of the phones I owned during that time had some quirks or issues. The worst examples were Nexus 5X and Pixel 5 – both just suddenly froze one day, shut down, and never turned back on again. After that Pixel 5 surprise I grudgingly switched to iPhone 12 mini.

I still think Google’s Android UI is the best one out there for me, and I despise a lot in the iPhone UX (such as the keyboard) but I just need a phone that works and I can get repaired or replaced easily if I need to. At least in Finland, Google’s customer service has been abysmal over the years.

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

#337

Post by anotherboffin »

adgjlsfhk1 wrote: post #310
scarface_74 wrote: post #308

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What exactly did Apple “do”?

https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-stop-apple-throttling-iph... Apple does the same thing, but doesn't offer free repairs when they do this

They didn’t offer free repairs, but they also didn’t limit it to five countries.

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

#338

Post by tlamponi »

chasil wrote: post #104
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…

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…

  > https://magiskmanager.com/
WARNING: this is not the official site for Magisk [0], keep to the actual GitHub hosted repo and builds [1].

[0]: https://www.xda-developers.com/psa-magiskmanager-com-not-off...

[1]: https://github.com/topjohnwu/Magisk

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

#339

Post by quicklime »

ryeguy wrote: post #317
quicklime wrote: post #314

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Having an “aged battery” is very different from having a battery that was suddenly ruined by a buggy update that can’t be rolled back though.

This wasn't a buggy update. It was announced ahead of time via email, including compensation options.

I’m just going by the article, which describes it as a “surprise update” that “came out of nowhere”. Am I missing something?

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

#340

Post by littlestymaar »

scarface_74 wrote: post #335
littlestymaar wrote: post #328

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're repeating Apple's PR talking point, but we know it's not true. Why? Because we have a counterfactual observation: in France there's a law against "planned obsolescence" and to comply Apple never pushed their update here. And not only French IPhone kept working, but everybody could disable the speed nerf by switching their location to France on their phone. And it turns out that the phones handled it without is…

So are you saying that batteries don’t degrade over time causing random cut offs? And if that were the case, how do you explain this as far as France? https://www.theverge.com/2020/2/7/21127984/apple-iphone-batt...

Battery do degrade over time, but the phone speed nerf was spread to many phones were battery degradation was far too little to cause the kind of disruption you're talking about. A theoretical concern that was marginal at best in the actual fleet of phone was used as an excuse for shady behavior (And that shady behavior got them a fine in France before they reverted the patch here).

Also, I don't understand why you're linking to an article that contradicts you. It reminded me something I had forgotten though: that eventually Apple (partially). caved and made this behavior opt-out for everyone.

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