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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

#41

Post by gausswho »

gertlex wrote: post #32
tocs3 wrote: post #7

Would grapheneos ( https://grapheneos.org/ ) help with this? I am using a pixel 4a as a "house phone" so it is plugged in all the time but I wonder if I should upgrade.

In the sense that it was a perfectly good phone, and still works with e.g. various bank apps or whatever... and I got tired of jail-break/customization stuff of smart devices about a decade ago... the extra work to wipe everything and explore a new world of things that might turn out to be broken isn't what I'd consider a reasonable option. :/

Things have come a long way. The GrapheneOS installation in particular is very straightforward. And most banks work just fine as apps, and if not via their website.

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

#42

Post by gertlex »

unethical_ban wrote: post #8

Why don't they build a rollback "update" if they wiped the old firmware?

They as in google?

This happened in a few stages:

Rollout of the new release (Jan 8 or so; I got it maybe Jan 16?)

Folks showed you could get the old update (I don't recall specifics) and block the OTA URLs (developer settings I think?) to prevent re-update.

Google decided to make it harder to get the old firmware.

I couldn't be arsed to wipe my phone, so am just living with the new shitty future for now.

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

#44

Post by dns_snek »

Zak wrote: post #31
rolfvandekrol wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Pixel 8a is fairly similar in size. Headphone jacks in phones are (sadly) gone forever i'm afraid.

The 8a is 3mm wider, 8mm taller, and 45g heavier. Perhaps that's not a huge difference, but I already consider the 4a too big. I will likely continue not upgrading as long as LineageOS and the hardware remain usable.

I switched from 4a to 8a. The weight difference is substantial and really noticable at first. I've gotten used to it now and it runs great with GrapheneOS, but it marked an end of an era of smaller, lighter phones for me.

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

#45

Post by b112 »

stephaner wrote: post #20

Same problem here (a few hours of battery life and it's very slow to charge now). This update makes no sense at all, excepted if you want to force your users to buy a new phone. For me, it should be a RED flag on the Pixel lineup and on the confidence in Google. I filled https://www.stopobsolescence.org/ .

Just bought a pixel 9 pro fold. I am now returning it. Tricks like this mean I won't be a customer.

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

#46

Post by red_trumpet »

deng wrote: post #17
zimbatm wrote: post #10

This needs more coverage. Perfectly good phones are getting thrown out because of a software update.

Google ended security updates for the Pixel 4a in August 2023, so running this as your daily driver was already problematic. Fortunately, LineageOS officially supports the 4a, and v22 (aka Android 15) was just released for it.

That point is so weird: Why offer a "performance update" 1.5 years after the end of security updates?

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

#47

Post by sifar »

gertlex wrote: post #32
tocs3 wrote: post #7

Would grapheneos ( https://grapheneos.org/ ) help with this? I am using a pixel 4a as a "house phone" so it is plugged in all the time but I wonder if I should upgrade.

In the sense that it was a perfectly good phone, and still works with e.g. various bank apps or whatever... and I got tired of jail-break/customization stuff of smart devices about a decade ago... the extra work to wipe everything and explore a new world of things that might turn out to be broken isn't what I'd consider a reasonable option. :/

I use GrapheneOS on my pixel 4a ever since I got it a few years ago. Installation is straightforward and it is a best of both worlds - you can install and run android apps from the playstore in a sandbox.

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

#48

Post by ausaus »

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.

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

#49

Post by j1elo »

ianbooker wrote: post #26
deng wrote: post #12

You can revert this if you unlock your bootloader: https://xdaforums.com/t/undo-the-january-2025-update-without... (EDIT: Just to be clear, and which is also mentioned in that post: unlocking the bootloader will reset the device. If your device is already unlocked though, you will be able to keep the data.) Of course, I would just advise to switch to LineageOS directly, since Google has stopped providing security upd…

How is the photo quality? I love the pictures from the old 12MP sensor + Googles software, but I understand this is not in Lineage?

I'd also be interested to know if a Google Camera app installed post-facto to LineageOS is compatible with the remote control & viewfinder of the Pixel Watch.

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

#50

Post by sifar »

tocs3 wrote: post #7

Would grapheneos ( https://grapheneos.org/ ) help with this? I am using a pixel 4a as a "house phone" so it is plugged in all the time but I wonder if I should upgrade.

I own a pixel 4a with grapheneOS - I received a couple of os updates in the last week, haven't run into this issue yet. Will see.
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