Earlier this month, Google surprised Pixel 4a owners with an update that reduced the phone’s battery life. Now, the company has pulled older versions of the Pixel 4a software, preventing people from rolling back the update.
The move comes as frustrated Pixel 4a owners discovered the update made some devices nearly unusable, with many dubbing it the “update of death.” Spotted by Android Authority, people on Reddit noticed that Google removed nearly three years’ worth of firmware images for the Pixel 4a. These images date back to the out-of-the-box Android 10 software. The only remaining firmware image is for the aforementioned “update of death.”
Android Authority reports that Google doesn’t usually remove older firmware unless there’s a significant issue, suggesting there must be something bigger going on to warrant the removal of old Pixel 4a images.
Based on what we know so far, I would guess it’s related to the battery management features Google pushed in the January 2025 update for the Pixel 4a. When Google announced the update, it said that the features were intended to improve the “stability of your battery’s performance.” Perhaps that means there’s a potential battery issue that could be problematic if people roll back to previous software versions. Whatever the case, Google hasn’t communicated why it removed the older firmware images.
Regardless, the removal will likely prove frustrating for Pixel 4a users. Aside from killing off a recovery option for people with software issues, getting rid of all the firmware images from before the battery update means Pixel 4a users who downloaded the January update and now have worse battery life can’t roll back.
As a quick refresher, Google acknowledged that the update would reduce battery life for some users and offered free battery replacements, $50 USD payments or $100 USD discounts toward a new Pixel phone to those impacted by the battery issues. But some found the battery changes particularly bad, with some users reporting that Pixel 4a devices barely last longer than 30 minutes of screen on time. Worse, others have had difficulties getting battery replacements due to a lack of available parts.
None of this is great for Pixel 4a owners and it’s a real bummer to see the phone’s later years play out this way. The Pixel 4a was one of my favourite Pixel phones, so it’s a real bummer to see things play out this way. If you have a Pixel 4a and haven’t taken advantage of Google’s offer yet, fill out this survey to claim your free repair or get a payment or a discount toward a new Pixel (those latter options now seem like the way to go).
Source: Reddit Via: Android Authority
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