The Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL have only been on sale a matter of weeks, but some early adopters are already experiencing major power problems.
Android Police brings word from multiple Pixel 3a and 3a XL users experiencing random shutdowns, which ‘occur unpredictably during day and night when the device is not in active use.’
- Read our Google Pixel 3a review
The affected users say they must perform a hard reset in order to get the phone back in working order once again. That takes around 30 seconds, and requires them to hold the power button until the phone reboots.
Naturally, the reports are coming from Reddit, where the original poster asserts the problem is related to the operating system or the hardware rather than a third-party app. The user Ravoz said he’d used the phone in safe mode, which disables third-party apps, and still experienced the problems.
Related: Google Pixel 3a vs Pixel 3
The user wrote: “The phones just die, and require a hard reset of holding the power button down for like 30 seconds before they turn back on.
“I had 3 shutdowns yesterday, including over night, causing me to miss my wake alarm. And another shutdown tonight. Today I used my phone in “Safe Mode” to eliminate any chance of a third party app causing it. Unfortunately it did, so unless it’s an issue in the OS, it’s hardware related.”
The Pixel range hasn’t been immune from teething problems, but this particular issue harkens back to the shutdown problems experienced by Google Nexus 6P owners, devices which were made by Huawei. Owners of that device are entitled to up to $400 in compensation from both firms as part of a class action lawsuit settled last month.
It doesn’t appear this issue is related, and the overwhelming impression is that this problem is only affecting a small minority of Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL users. However, this is definitely one to keep an eye on.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
