News It only took two years for my Pixel 6 to become a complete dumpster fire

[AC News]

Google promised years of software support for the Pixel 6. Two years down the line, it's nearly unusable.

It only took two years for my Pixel 6 to become a complete dumpster fire : Read more

 

[fuzzylumpkin]

My Pixel 6 was not great out of the box. It has convinced me that I will likely never daily drive a Google phone and may not even bother getting one just to play with in the future. It has also convinced me that when I upgrade my Mum from her 4a this year, I should probably move her to a Galaxy A rather than a Pixel a.

I think at this point I'm viewing Google as a mostly B to B company who don't really care about end users because we make up so little of their bottom line.

 

[faufan]

I don't understand when people say things like I could barely go 12hrs without charging my phone & also are self described heavy users.

I barely go a few hours without dropping my phone on a wireless charger & even if I didn't I could beat my phone up for 12hrs I would be fine with that.

As a P7 user I am happy as a clam, except wanting a P8P or PF

 

[jten9]

Not as heavy a user as the op, but my pixel 6 has been good. Biggest complaint is the wireless charging is a bit temperamental- I have a Spigen powerarc wireless charger that works great, but most other wireless chargers I tried are hit-or-miss (mostly miss). Really my only big complaint.

 

[Edmundo Paschoal]

Google promised years of software support for the Pixel 6. Two years down the line, it's nearly unusable.

It only took two years for my Pixel 6 to become a complete dumpster fire : Read more

I have my Google Pixel 6 and nothing like what you mentioned happened to me, my battery remains great, the device has no changes and efficient cameras, which I even use for my work as a journalist. You should pay attention to how you use your device and check that you are not damaging the device by installing inappropriate applications and keeping system and security updates up to date.

 

[Nerdyway]

12 Hours of battery life for an older phone is pretty good actually. Sounds like your phone has a app or two that is not behaving. If you are looking for a relatively plain android skin I would suggest motorola phones instead of a google pixel that doesn't require as much technical know how to keep all your apps running smoothly. Good Luck!

 

[heatr216]

Not gonna lie, this is exactly how I feel with my 7.

 

[rvbfan]

I've had a pixel6 since shortly after release which my wife is now using and is working as intended. The only reason I upgraded to a P8P was for the telephoto lens . Other than that I would still be using it.

 

[Bla1ze]

Although I don't know how the author of the article uses their device, I have always found Android devices to require way more behind the scenes "maintenance". Over time, leftover app crud builds up, stray files bog the devices down and a factory reset goes a long way.

I don't know how or if Android will ever overcome that. But I will say that through my routine of usage (cleaning up stray files, ensuring app caches are deleted often, etc) and an occasional factory reset (every 8-12 months) I haven't had a phone turn to utter crap in years.

 

[politebat2001]

Pixel 6....who still uses that old thing?

 

[rvbfan]

Pixel 6....who still uses that old thing?

My wife and one of my sons, his girlfriend.
Not everyone likes to upgrade as often as some people on this forum.

 

[kiltannen]

Really interested to read your article.

I'm currently using a Pixel 3xl, and thinking I'll upgrade to the Pixel 8pro in 3-4 months (clearly I'm not someone who changes phones lightly!)

I would REALLY love to hear your take on the 8pro, so is it possible you'll be getting one?

 

[Kenenna Oyeka]

I also tried the Pixel 6. I do Lyft and Uber and I like my car to be a toasty 74-75F. The day I sold My Pixel was when I had a ride notification but the phone was locked and cos it was overheating It became unresponsive. When u play with my money, u gotta go. Tensor didn't deliver one bit.

 

[jrock06]

That's about how long it took my Pixel 6 to finally blow up literally. I am not a really heavy user, just a daily user doing the usual things... checking emails, a few texts and a few games of Gin, Backgammon and Wooduko. My phone was always warm when charging and after the last update it started getting hot! I didn't really pay attention until I thought the case was having an issue. Took the phone out and realized the phone on one side was separating from the back. It was all because the battery was double the original size. Turned it off and only time I turned it back on was when my new cellphone vendor sent me a new Pixel 8 and I had to download all my info onto the new one. That was two months ago and the new phone is much cooler while charging, the battery has good life and the touchscreen sensor works great even with a screen protector. Of course it has a great camera and all the editing stuff to make a bad photo look good!

 

[fuzzylumpkin]

That's about how long it took my Pixel 6 to finally blow up literally. I am not a really heavy user, just a daily user doing the usual things... checking emails, a few texts and a few games of Gin, Backgammon and Wooduko. My phone was always warm when charging and after the last update it started getting hot! I didn't really pay attention until I thought the case was having an issue. Took the phone out and realized the phone on one side was separating from the back. It was all because the battery was double the original size. Turned it off and only time I turned it back on was when my new cellphone vendor sent me a new Pixel 8 and I had to download all my info onto the new one. That was two months ago and the new phone is much cooler while charging, the battery has good life and the touchscreen sensor works great even with a screen protector. Of course it has a great camera and all the editing stuff to make a bad photo look good!

I know what you're saying.

 

[whateverYouSayMan]

Google promised years of software support for the Pixel 6. Two years down the line, it's nearly unusable.

It only took two years for my Pixel 6 to become a complete dumpster fire : Read more

Install GrapheneOS. Easy to do, and I find it more stable, and much better on battery life.

 

[deltatux]

Sounds like this author likely really abused her device. While the Pixel 6 did have a fair share of issues including the cell connectivity being not the best. I've had mine since launch and my device has been going strong. I use it for many of the things this author listed and my battery can still go all day and the device feels fresh after the Android 14 update (battery drain has gone down significantly). The only thing I don't do on my phone is game, don't care about mobile gaming. If I want to game, it's either my PC or Steam Deck.

Personally was thinking of upgrading to the Pixel 8 Pro but honestly my Pixel 6 has been great with no major issues, I might just try to hold off until the Pixel 10 comes out before I upgrade unless something happens between now & then that forces an upgrade...

 

[loaonline]

Sounds like a problem with apps you may have installed or how you are using the device. My pixel 6 has and is working great. Heard the same from other users as well.

 

[SrBoromir]

Having my 6 pro repaired as I type, had a black ink spot of dead pixels show up in the screen, which I was fine with, but then I had a big section of the touch screen just stop working, and then the screen would lose the color blue randomly, had to switch back to my pixel 3XL, which feels soooo bad after the 6. I've lived about 2/3 years behind current by buying refurbished, got my pixel 6 pro 500GB for $350 ish (1 year warranty, had all these issues 11 months in) I can't wait to get back to my 6 pro

 

[blair6]

My Pixel 6 runs great and I use the hell out of it, often with a dozen or more apps stacked up.

The fingerprint sensor was never particularly good but it responds in 1-4 tries no matter what the rest of the phone is doing. It could be worse but I use a wallet case to cover it, never a screen protector.

I strongly suspect people having trouble with their phones have hardware issues that software could never solve. Could be a loose connector or a chip or board that's just defective. Or maybe you've got malware making it buggy.

It's not the software or the design (except the fingerprint sensor being weak; they really botched that and everyone knew it from launch day).