A SMARTPHONE user says their device suddenly caught fire and melted beside them as they slept — despite installing a safety update meant to stop overheating.
The incident involved Google’s Pixel 6A, and took place in Australia, where the Reddit user said they were jolted awake by a “horrible smell and a loud noise” before discovering their Pixel 6A melting on the nightstand.
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The phone had been charging overnight using a 45W Steam Deck charger when it suddenly burst into flames.
The user, who goes by footymanageraddict on Reddit, said the fire damaged their bedsheets and even scorched the surface of a nearby air conditioner unit.
“The phone was sitting less than 40 cms away from my head on my nightstand,” the post reads.
“Sheets caught on fire. My ac (a floor unit) had damages on its surface from the fire. My throat hurt the whole day from the fumes I inhaled.”
The user had installed Google’s recent mandatory battery performance update, which was designed to reduce overheating risks.
However, they didn’t replace the battery because there were no walk-in support options available in their country, and mailing the phone in wasn’t feasible.
This incident is one of several involving the Pixel 6A catching fire while charging.
Another Reddit user, zaliver, described a similar situation when their device started “shooting out hot gas” during the night.
“Luckily, I was able to smother the fire, then throw the still-smoking phone into the toilet before the fire spread,” they wrote. “My wife and I are pretty shook up about it.”
In response to growing concerns, Google confirmed to The Sun that a “subset” of Pixel 6A devices is receiving the update “to reduce the risk of potential battery overheating”.
The tech giant said the update will automatically enable battery management features that limit capacity and charging performance once the phone reaches 400 charge cycles.
“We’ll contact impacted customers next month, with all the information they need to address the issue,” Google added.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) also issued a warning last week, stating that Pixel 6A phones may have an “overheating battery” that “could pose a risk of fire and/or burns to a user,” and confirmed that “incidents have occurred resulting in serious burn injuries”.
How does Google Play Protect work?
Here’s what Google Play protect does…
- Checks Google Play store apps for safety before download
- Checks for non-Play store apps that may be harmful
- Warns you about harmful apps
- Deactivates or removes harmful apps
- Warns you about apps that violate policy by hiding or misrepresenting themselves
- Sends you privacy alerts about apps that can use permissions to access your personal data
- Reset app permissions to protect your privacy
Google’s protection feature might not catch all instances of bad behaviour – so you still need to be careful online.
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