Pixel 4A/6A and restrained batteries: “very insufficient” care according to consumer defense associations

Google fails to get out of the slump of planned obsolescence. Whether with its Pixel 4A at the start of the year Or More recently with the 6A modelmany smartphones in circulation have inherited a restrained battery without proposed satisfactory solutions for the persons concerned, consider several associations.

A few weeks apart, Halte association in planned obsolescence (HOP) AndThe magazine 60 million consumers criticized Google’s policy in the face of these issues.

Compensation for a “derisory amount”

After harvesting the testimonies of 2,600 owners of Pixel 4A since the beginning of 2025, Hop has drawn an unlverating portrait of the situation. After the update, 97 % of those questioned believe that the smartphone battery no longer holds and, despite everything, half of the people concerned “continues to use this product despite the dysfunctions“For lack of alternatives.

If Google has proposed some compensation options for the telephones affected, none is fully satisfactory, according to the association. The $ 100 voucher on the Google Store “is much lower than the cheapest phone“On the platform, the transfer of $ 50 represents”a derisory amount compared to the price of the new smartphone and the cost of renewal“and free battery replacement”Unfortunately does not concern consumers located on French soil.“”

Ditto for the 6a pixel after 60 million consumers. “”Google’s compensation policy for Pixel 4A had been deemed very insufficient by consumers. Despite this, Google is barely more generous with the 6a pixel“, Note the magazine. The subsidiary of the National Institute of Consumption regrets that the replacement of the battery is also not supported for this phone model, while emphasizing that”Only mobiles in perfect condition are supported by the brand. If your screen is slightly cracked, it is the refusal guaranteed.“”

What if you are concerned?

Each of the organizations underlines the cost induced by the clamping of the battery and the absence of care. “”For those who end up with autonomy at half mast and who do not have the budget for the premature replacement of their 6a pixel, this is the puzzle“, regret 60 million consumers. On the voucher offered to Pixel 4A owners, HOP writes: “By limiting the use of the good to the official store, Google barely covers the price difference between its platform and that of its resellers.“”

As for the repair of a 4A pixel, it costs on average € 165 according to presto, or “More than three times the amount of the compensation transfer offered by Google.“And it is still necessary to be able to find a store capable of doing this intervention and a battery which is not out of stock. Result, alone”15 % of reporting attempted the repair“, Underlines the association.

“”This second problem detected on pixel and its cavalier management singularly unclogs the brand image of Google and consumer confidence in the brand“, laments 60 million. Faced with the protest, Google claims to have transmitted the testimonies of dissatisfaction to its legal service, but did not officially react to the open letter published by Hop.

To the people concerned by this battery clamping, 60 million consumers advises playing the legal guarantee of conformity if it is still time (the latter lasts 24 months) or even to invoke the guarantee of hidden defects. The latter, which requires proving that the problem was present at the time of the purchase of the product, is more difficult to use, but “Google’s official communication concerning Pixel 6A could however play in your favor“Note the magazine.

For Pixel 4A, HOP advises to report to the DGCCRFmore likely “grasp the extent of the phenomenon and investigate“.

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