Google will reduce battery life for some Pixel 6a phones to prevent overheating
Sam Rutherford for Engadget
Google's Pixel 6a has been a winner in many respects, but a new issue with the smartphone's battery may pose a safety concern. After Android Authority reported on a pair of instances where a Pixel 6a battery overheated to the point where the device caught fire, the publication spotted some details in the latest Android 16 beta indicating that as a precaution, the Pixel 6a battery capacity and charging speed will be reduced. In addition, Android Authority received this statement from Google:
A subset of Pixel 6a phones will require a mandatory software update to reduce the risk of potential battery overheating. The update will enable battery management features that will reduce capacity and charging performance after the battery reaches 400 charge cycles. We'll contact impacted customers next month, with all the information they need to address the issue.
The Pixel 6a is due to receive software support until July 2027, but it's just the latest entry in this device line to have battery problems this year. In January, Google rolled out an update that reduced battery life of the Pixel 4a to increase stability for the 2020 phone model. Then in April, the company launched a program of repairs and payments after some instances of batteries "swelling" in the Pixel 7a.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Tom's Guide
an hour ago
- Tom's Guide
Windows parental controls are crashing Chrome — here's the workaround
Windows 11's Family Safety feature is supposed to block certain websites from children, but apparently it's also been causing issues with Google's Chrome browser, a (vastly more popular) competitor to Microsoft's own Edge. The problem first surfaced on Windows on June 3, per The Verge, when several users started noticing they couldn't open Chrome or their browser would crash randomly. Restarting their computer or reinstalling Chrome didn't fix the issue, and other browsers like Firefox and Opera appeared unaffected. On Monday, a Google spokesperson posted in the company's community forum that it had investigated these reports and found the issues were linked to Microsoft's new Windows Family Safety feature. This optional feature is primarily used by parents and schools to manage children's screen time, filter their web browsing, and monitor their online activity. Curiously, the bug has been going on for weeks now, and Microsoft still hasn't issued a patch. 'We've not heard anything from Microsoft about a fix being rolled out,' wrote a Chromium engineer in a bug tracking thread on June 10. 'They have provided guidance to users who contact them about how to get Chrome working again, but I wouldn't think that would have a large effect.' While this issue could be an innocent bug, Microsoft has a history of placing annoying hurdles between Edge and Chrome to entice users to stick with its browser. So anytime a technical snafu makes Chrome run worse on Windows PCs, Microsoft understandably gets some serious side eye. Thankfully, there seem to be two ways to get around this bug while we wait for Microsoft to issue a fix, and they're both fairly simple. The most straightforward is to turn off the "Filter Inappropriate Websites" setting. Head to the Family Safety mobile app or Family Safety web portal, select a user's account, and choose to disable "Filter inappropriate websites" under the Edge tab. However, that'll remove the guardrails on Chrome and let your child access any website, including the ones you were trying to block in the first place. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. If you want to keep the guardrails on and still use Chrome, some users reported that altering the name in your Chrome folder (to something like Chrome1, for example), got the browser to work again even with the Family Safety feature enabled.
Android Authority
5 hours ago
- Android Authority
6 things I always do when setting up a new phone
Megan Ellis / Android Authority I set up a new phone fairly often — whether it's moving to a new daily driver or secondary phone, or setting up one of the new best Android phones to review. Since I'm a creature of habit, I like to ensure that switching devices isn't too jarring, so I have created a bit of a routine when it comes to setting up a new device. While I may tweak my approach depending on whether I plan to use the phone as my new daily driver or as a secondary device (such as a camera smartphone), these are the essential steps I take with every phone. What is your most important step when setting up a new smartphone? 0 votes Syncing my accounts and restoring backups. NaN % Changing my UI. NaN % Removing bloatware. NaN % Setting up my most-used apps. NaN % 1. Using my Google backup to restore certain apps Megan Ellis / Android Authority Many Android manufacturers offer a phone clone utility that copies the data directly from your previous device. However, I prefer using my Google account to restore a backup from my main device for a number of reasons. Firstly, the cloning utilities on smartphones often require the new and old phone to be connected or near each other for some time. This means that I often feel like I can't use either phone during the transfer, which cuts me off from things like my chats and notifications. A minor issue, but still. Secondly, when restoring apps from my original phone, I am able to select which ones to install. This is a great feature, since I often accrue apps that I test for work that I don't necessarily use anymore but forget to uninstall. Restoring a backup from a Google account includes many of the beneficial features of cloning your phone. Furthermore, restoring a backup from a Google account includes many of the beneficial features of cloning your phone, such as copying over SMS messages, contacts, device settings, and call history. And since I use Google Password Manager, syncing my Google account with the new phone also gives me access to the login details I use for various apps. However, I have found that my mileage may vary depending on which manufacturers I'm switching between. In cases where my login details haven't transferred, I use the Chrome app to access the password manager. 2. Selecting my preferred settings Megan Ellis / Android Authority There was a time that Android skins felt very similar, but over the years I've noticed more fragmentation when it comes to the default user interface (UI). So whenever I set up a new smartphone, I make sure to adjust the UI's settings to my ideal setup. This includes three-button navigation, permanent dark mode, switching to Eye Comfort mode, choosing an app drawer for my home screen if it's not on by default, and switching my control panel shortcuts to those I use the most. Many of the changes I make are to prevent my smartphone from triggering my migraines, but some of them are also due to habits I've built up after over a decade of using Android phones. A recent annoyance I've found with some Android phone brands is the attempt to switch users to a split notification panel by default. On some Android skins, there's no way to switch back to a combined notification and control panel, which really frustrates me. But when the option is there, I switch to the combined view. For example, when I recently set up the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, I switched back to the combined notification view in One UI 7. 3. Setting up Google Photos backups Joe Maring / Android Authority Even though I've tried to move away from Google Photos by self-hosting Immich instead, I still haven't made the transition fully. This is partially due to how Google Photos incorporates into my workflow, since I often take photos on my phone and then access them through the web to download and add them to a post I'm working on, for example. So, at least for now, Google Photos remains an essential utility for me. I back up photos across all my devices, even if I'm just using the phone for a two-week review period — especially since I often use review devices to take pictures of scenic areas and my pets. This also means that the photos I take with these devices are added to my Memories, which is one of my favorite Google Photos features. 4. Removing bloatware Megan Ellis / Android Authority If you've used Android, you'll be very familiar with bloatware — the non-essential, pre-installed apps that OEMs include on their devices. I find that this step is particularly needed when it comes to mid-range and budget smartphones, which tend to pack in a lot more bloat. I've found plenty of social media apps, games, and office software come pre-installed on devices, whether you use them or not. Sometimes these apps are OEM tools that I never use due to preferring cross-platform apps instead. But I've also found plenty of social media apps, games, and office software come pre-installed on devices whether you use them or not. Where possible, I uninstall any app or game that I don't use. Of course, some bloatware can't be uninstalled. In this case, I try to see if I can archive or disable the app so that I don't receive prompts to use it instead of my preferred software. 5. Signing into my most-used apps Megan Ellis / Android Authority To make sure that I start receiving important notifications on my new device, I sign into my most-used apps as soon as possible. These are usually my Gmail, Asana, and Slack accounts. However, if the phone is my new daily driver, I make sure to log into WhatsApp and restore my chat backup. I sign into my most-used apps as soon as possible. If an app isn't integral to getting work notifications or communications from my contacts, I'll take my time signing into it when I actually use it. For example, I don't rush when it comes to signing into my social media apps, especially since I go weeks without using some platforms. But missing a Slack notification or an important email to my secondary Gmail account (which is different to my backup account) means that I could miss important information about work or assignments. So I make sure to sign into these as soon as possible. 6. Restoring my 2FA Authenticator app backup Megan Ellis / Android Authority While two-factor authentication (2FA) undoubtedly has its benefits, I always worry about switching devices and no longer having access to my authenticator app. While I originally only used Microsoft Authenticator for my Microsoft account, over time, I began adding some other apps and websites to the tool. But I soon realized that the app doesn't automatically sync with the linked Microsoft account, meaning the different integrated services don't move over when you sign in on a new device. I eventually figured out that I first needed to create a backup on my old device, then restore that account backup on the new device. Whenever I set up a new smartphone, I make sure to restore my authenticator backup. Now, whenever I set up a new smartphone, I make sure to restore the account backup so that I can access my linked services. If you use a 2FA or multi-factor authentication (MFA) app, make sure you transfer your credentials so that you don't lose access. I'm often juggling more than one smartphone at a time, but I make sure to follow certain steps when setting them up. This makes switching between devices easier for me, while also providing me with the best experience when I change my main device. Too many times I've been caught out by not having the right settings or data on the smartphone I'm using, which can become an issue when my other devices are not around. Most people only have one smartphone to deal with, but these steps are helpful regardless of how many devices you're using. Just make sure to factory reset your old phone if you plan to sell it or give it away, once you're certain you have all the necessary information you need from it.
Android Authority
6 hours ago
- Android Authority
This free Android app helps me optimize my workflow — here's how
Saeed Wazir / Android Authority My life as a freelancer involves writing different articles for various clients daily. I also spend a significant amount of time caring for my daughter and attending to household chores. Balancing my workload and home life would be challenging without a time-tracking tool to log each task and monitor my progress. I use Clockify because I can accurately track the time spent on each project and analyze my performance with in-depth reports. Clockify is available for free on Android phones and Windows devices, so I can use it from anywhere. It has made a massive difference to the way I approach my work and manage my time, thanks to accurate data tracking and visual representations of my progress. The app is also user-friendly, and anyone can get the hang of it without prior training. Do you rely on smartphone apps to keep up with your daily tasks? 330 votes Only one or two apps. 50 % I have multiple apps to keep track of everything. 25 % I use a powerful all-in-one app with advanced features. 8 % No, I get by fine without needing any apps. 18 % Clockify tracks my working hours Saeed Wazir / Android Authority My main reason for using Clockify is to identify how much time I spend on each project per day. I sometimes start a project at a certain time, then take a break before continuing. At other times, I need to stop a project halfway and switch to editing another article to meet a deadline. Sometimes I don't have enough hours in the day. I start a project in the evening and continue the next day. None of these are issues because Clockify tracks each job down to the second, and lets me divide them between billable and non-billable hours. Clockify saves me from hours of admin per month and is more accurate than a manual system. Before using Clockify, I logged each job into an Excel spreadsheet and had to manually add the client names, rates, and other details daily. At the end of the week, I'd need to add up the hours worked and then try to divide them by each client. Now I create a new project, assign it to a client, and Clockify takes care of the rest. It saves me from hours of admin per month and is more accurate than a manual system. I see how much time I spent on each project Saeed Wazir / Android Authority Clockify's Timesheet is one of my favorite features because it breaks down my work for the week to see how much time I spent on each project. It creates a table with all the jobs I've done and displays the time spent on each per day. If I work on the same project for multiple days, it shows the days and time spent on it and calculates a total hourly figure. It does this every week to create a record of my work, which I can revisit at any time. Being able to see all the projects I worked on during the week helps me to plan better and strategise for the future. Being able to see all the projects I worked on during the week and the time spent on each helps me to plan better and strategise for the future. I usually asses why specific projects took longer than usual to complete, or why others were faster than normal. I can also identify which days I'm more productive than others, so I can organize my schedule more effectively. If I didn't work solo, I'd probably use the Teammates option to add my colleagues to the system and monitor our combined output. The in-depth reports track every metric Saeed Wazir / Android Authority The Reports feature in Clockify helps me optimize my work by viewing various metrics and analyzing my performance. The main screen displays the total number of hours I've worked per day, and I can break them down by project, billable, or non-billable hours. I can also see how much time I've spent on each client. Clockify displays the percentage allocated to each, enabling me to plan my workload more effectively. I often use the filter function further to break down the reports into easily digestible information. For example, I assign a tag to every project, such as 'list,' 'feature,' or 'review,' based on the type of article I'm writing. At the end of the week, I can see how much time I spent on each kind of article and which clients they were for. This helps me to improve my time management because I can allocate shorter jobs to specific days and longer jobs to others when I'm not as busy. At home and on the go Saeed Wazir / Android Authority I spend most of my days on the go and appreciate that Clockify syncs between my phone and laptop so I can access my information from anywhere. I often use the desktop app when working from home so that I can view all the charts and graphics on a large display. Running the desktop app while I'm working at my desk also serves as a timer, pushing me to focus on my work without getting sidetracked by social media and other distractions. Clockify syncs between my phone and laptop so I can access my information from anywhere. I use the mobile version when I have free time and want to view or analyze my progress while I'm relaxing on my couch. I also use it if I'm typing an article in Google Docs while waiting to pick up my daughter from school and want to log the time I'm spending on it. Both versions of the app run equally well and mostly display the same information. It's great, but not perfect Saeed Wazir / Android Authority The free version of Clockify works well for me, possibly because I'm a single-person organization and do all the work for myself. Having a timer running in the background motivates me to work without unnecessary breaks and has helped me increase my overall productivity. The TimeSheet and Reports provide detailed charts and graphs of my daily and weekly performance, which I use to improve my time management to fit my schedule. My only complaint about Clockify is that the mobile version doesn't display the dashboard as it does in the desktop app. The dashboard is helpful because it combines all the data onto a single page for easy viewing, and I wish I could view it from my phone. I'm fine with the free version, but Clockify offers various subscription-based alternatives, ranging from $4 to $11 per month. These are better suited for larger organizations and include features such as attendance reports, labor cost tracking, and an audit log to monitor employee performance.
