There is even more to the Google Pixel 4a’s horrific battery update than we thought

It seems like Google really doesn't want anyone to use their Pixel 4a without replacing the battery.

Feb 5, 2025 - 14:43

There is even more to the Google Pixel 4a’s horrific battery update than we thought

Credit: David Imel / Android Authority

The Google Pixel 4a battery update does even more than we thought, reducing capacity by around 44% and halving the maximum charging speed on affected devices.
The update also disables features like Adaptive Charging and charging time ETAs.
Google made the update an Emergency Maintenance Release (EMR), which means it’s been trying to release it as quickly as possible.

There’s been a lot of talk lately regarding Google’s Battery Performance Program for the Pixel 4a, which, among other things, includes a software update that has a huge impact on its battery life. Many users now consider the phone unusable and are rightfully mad at Google, which hasn’t done a great job communicating why it was suddenly rolling out such an update six years after the device’s release.

A few days ago, a post by Hector Martin (known for his work on Asahi Linux, which brings Linux to newer Macs) shed some light on the update. But we still have loads of unanswered questions, so I decided to investigate it myself and dig deeper into the kernel update.