UPDATE, JUNE 22, 2023: I am warrantying the phone. It’s covered until August apparently (didn’t know it had been that long already) so might as well do something about it now. Will update if this does anything! Fingers crossed!
For the past bit (I don’t remember exactly how long), I’ve been daily driving a Google Pixel 6. I’ve always been an Android guy, even with my brief four year stint daily driving iOS, and have preferred “The Android Way” since I got my first phone — the Kyocera Hydro, on Boost Mobile (US) — all those years ago. I definitely regard myself as being part of the power user category among my fellow Android users.
That being said, there has been several issues plaguing my experience with the Pixel 6 specifically that have absolutely flabbergasted me. I’m not sure how to fix them, and I wanted to document them somewhere just-in-case.
Consistent battery drain. Unplug the phone, and watch it drop from 100% to around 60% within a few minutes. And here’s the kicker: THERE’S NOTHING RUNNING IN THE BACKGROUND. Not a single application. What?!
Random brightness changes from app-to-app. Dark to bright, bright to dark. You name it, it has happened. Why? Don’t know. But it’s annoying! It persists after a restart and there’s nothing in the OS logs that point me in any particular direction — it all seems normal!
Texting issues, not even carrier-related. Restarts fix this, though… seems it might be a Google Messages issue? No idea!
Consistent overheating, even when not actively using the phone or in a cool (66 degree Fahrenheit) environment.
I’ve only ever observed these issues on Tensor (1st gen) equipped Google devices, though, so it’s definitely possible Tensor G2 fixes these issues. But this is insane to me. With no ability to track down what it is, and not being allowed to unlock the bootloader and flash an alternative ROM until 2024, I’m not really able to report a bug or get as far away from the trouble as I can.
Otherwise, this phone has been solid and I love it. It’s just one thing after the next lately, though… I’m even starting to consider jumping ship to another brand entirely, which isn’t great.
I’ll definitely update this list if I run into anything else! Maybe it can help someone else having the same troubles?
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