Help For Pixel 4 Phone Users (EE) & A Thank you To EE Returns

[OldSchoolTech]

Hi guys,

this is a thank you to "Karen" in "Returns Department EE. She pointed me in right direction fixing my (fairly new) Pixel 4 Phone. (I actually work as a hardware technician, and even, at one point, worked in telecomms industry).

Karen mentioned "Pixel Phone Help Centre" as best route to return a phone under warranty (unfortunately, I was outside my EE return date by a few months). I was certain USB-C port had stopped functioning on Pixel 4. I had tried everything:

1. system updates

2. hard reset 

3. removing debris from USB port & cable connectors (use plastic picker only - not metal ones, since metal interferes with delicate contacts in device). 

to apply fix (i am amazed it worked) - you'll need to log into Google Phone Help Centre,

then follow this path: Contact Us > Device Not Charging > Fix A Phone That Wont Charge...

you can follow warranty link (this appeared to be my only option)

but I decided to see what Google recommends (their instructions make interesting reading).

the link to "Fix A Phone Not Charging" is here:

Fix a Pixel phone that won't charge or turn on - Pixel Phone Help (google.com)

i followed steps to the letter:

1. put my (official) charger directly into a working wall socket

2. connected it using google's official USB C cable (using others wont have right electrical "resistance")

3. waited 30 minutes (it was showing red battery icon & white battery icon, meaning it was detecting cable is attached, but was totally drained battery).

4. i just let it charge for 30 minutes - without touching it... (be patient).

5. then, google support advise hold power button a few seconds, then press "Restart" when you see the Restart button ( i was amazed to see Restart button was showing, since phone screen appeared to be "dead" earlier).

6. After pressing Restart, phone took me to Home Screen and displayed: Charging 75%...

I was amazed... I haven't tested it in computer USB -C port yet, or for long duration, but it is definitely not a complete port failure (as I had assumed). 

hope this helps someone out there- you may think you have a dead phone... not so...

if you have direct wall socket, official cable and charger, you have a shot at fixing device. feedback welcome, i'd be interested to hear all your Pixel Phone stories 🙂 

kind regards, OldSchoolTech

[James_B]

Thanks for sharing this great tip @OldSchoolTech 🙂

James

[OldSchoolTech]

Thanks for support: James_B however, I spoke too soon 😞

Pixel 4 battery died on me completely...

Although I'm a patient type (computer specialist, not a smartphone specialist) it was a time-consuming ride dealing with Google Returns. I'll post my findings here, as I'll bet other google phone users may be experiencing same issues...

Karen (from EE Returns) gave me good advice.... The best way
to contact (Anyone) at google is via their "live chat service". It's buried
on their "phone support pages".

If you want a straightfoward email address or telephone support number, good luck,
I couldnt find any on google "support pages" - its like a maze - when I ran helpdesks, this would not have impressed my customers (especially busy ones)!

i logged everything carefully (i'm a technician, so I do this with all faulty devices).
when I asked google-chat rep if they have email service or telephone
support for their customers, this is what she typed...

"We support those queries as well. Please let me know your query.."

I've seen this technique used by commercial companies before... Let me explain
what's going on... I've asked her if she has telephone and email support for
customers... she hasn't answered my question, or provided me with any details.

She's asked me to "let her know" query, when I've already stated it- clearly-
this is known as a time-wasting tactic. since I was in the middle of returning a
phone to her, I didnt press the matter.... (I'm letting you guys know, because this
is what you'll be facing, if you have a faulty google device). i was not impressed...

To google's credit, they did provide free "shipping" (although you'll need a printer
to print out their "shipping label"), google rep did take my chat request quickly, she did troubleshoot with me professionally... you'll need to follow their repacking steps closely
and "DHL Service Points" (from what I can tell, are not regular Post Offices, but tend
to be retail shops). Fortunately, there's a lot of them ... Just be sure to ask for
receipt and tracking number (in the shop), so you're covered if there's a delivery delay.

So...upshot of this saga is:

3 days wasted, just trying to fault-trace and return google's faulty device.
the cost of getting to DHL service point, printing labels and repackaging faulty device
arent covered by google... but its the time....if i had been at work, this would have been
a nightmare to sort, especially if I was stuck with a phone that keeps dying on me!

there is an extensive issue with Pixel phone failing batteries on google support pages.
you can find it here (upvoted 417 times)
although its "hidden" by default unless you unhide entire thread!

upvoted 473 times : failing pixel phone batteries
https://support.google.com/pixelphone/thread/22886312?hl=en&msgid=25881276

solutions such as faulty system updates, cleaning USB port blockages and factory
resets arent going to solve a hardware issue. I'll strongly suggest not modding or rooting a phone like pixel 4 too... (google rep checked if I had done this, I never root phones).

I suspect it's a circuitry fault where usb port fails to send electric current correctly to battery (battery itself may have a charging issue, too).

my pixel 4 was clearly charging, then discharging (intermittent fault)
when I did troubleshooting live-chat with google rep, pixel 4 decided not to charge at all (red battery icon)

while phone still working, I ran a test app (phone test and check, android) to see what was happening:

google rep told me:

"we do not recommend any third party app, it not required for the screenshot..."

this is an interesting reply. instead of google-rep suggesting an approved app that can test battery function, no third-party apps are supported at all... if you think about this carefully, how are google engineers (themselves) going to fault trace a Pixel phone that wont charge?

i could try to make inquries... but remember what happened, folks.... she didnt supply
me with a support email or support telephone number... i'd already spent days dealing
with issue, too.

generally, i wish EE still stocked HTC phones (the best I've ever used). it has a better
"answer call" interface (no complex swipe), its usb port never failed... its battery life was superb.

pixel 4 isnt in this league, its like a shiny pebble in your hand (highly polished, why)?
pixel 4 "phone app" cache can delay txts and voicemails....
pixel 4 may not work with "standard usb cables" (even though google supplies an adaptor for usb 2.0)

i'm going to test cable issue and report back here, since I've been asked to repair laptops, that usually need net access to update antivirus defs, or just test net connectivity....

if anyone at EE (or a savvy phone specialist gets this far) I'd like you to consider these
questions:

what happened to HTC, pls?
why did EE drop such a good phone from its preferred devices?

peace. thanks for reading. OldSchoolTech 🙂

[OldSchoolTech]

Dear EE Members,

So, Google sent me a "refurbished" pixel 4 phone (it came promptly)
I actually wanted a new one... (since I'm paying for it). Google rep didnt

make it clear she was sending me a refurbished pixel 4. (I should have

asked for a new one, yes, but Google could just do this as a courtesy).

I didnt send back my "pixel 4 warranty" documents, as Google rep

asked me if I physically had these (no doubt, proof you'll still under

warranty).

I noticed my refurbished phone comes in a different box with only one

document called "hello again" (almost useless). Google did not send

me new cable or charger (why)? Because it's obviously a fault with the

handset (this was established while I was talking with Google rep in

"Live Chat").

This time, I observed pixel 4 phone carefully, since the faults are all to

do with charging and usb port failure...

This refurbished pixel 4 phone has exactly the SAME charging and usb

port failure faults as the old pixel 4!

Here's whats really happening....

Google technicians have found a way to get Pixel 4 through QA testing

When it leaves dispatch (technically) phone is working....
When customer receives handset, it works....
The faults start manifesting "under load", when you have to use this

useless thing in everyday circumstances...

List Of Faults:

1. charging screen disappears (when phone is OFF, but charging

cable is plugged in)

Now, you cannot tell if pixel 4 is charging : this is a firmware issue. A

setting has turned itself off *inside* the device.

2. phone starts turning itself ON (when a charge is applied) without

user intervention (power button has not been pressed).

3. phone refuses to charge when plugged in (sometimes):
this is an intermittent fault because port does not detect charge on line

correctly..

firmware, circuitry and motherboard are defective on the device, even

though it decides to charge (sometimes). its not the cable, its not the

charger, its not OS updates, its not fluff in USB port... it has to be

circuitry or firmware not communicating with phone to cause above

errors.

Google Drivers:

Are difficult to install... I am an experienced technician, but trying to

follow correct instructions for "google driver" is a nightmare.

this is what's happening...

HTC (my old phone manufacturer) provided a single exe package

called "sync manager" that effectively installs phone drivers (and then

they just keeps working).

Google drivers (on other hand) are found at a "developer site" that has

no single "exe package" that can be easily installed. I discovered all

old phone drivers have to be uninstalled, so google driver works!

this is not ideal, I need a backup phone because Pixel 4 handset

simply decides NOT to charge sometimes... "developers SDK" drivers

are for advanced users, not ordinary customers....

Why doesn't Google just program one install package for Pixel phones

that works with other phones? (I'll be asking Google about this, but I do

not expect a straightforward answer from what I've seen).

Can EE help me? I'd like to upgrade to a Samsung S20 (I've heard

good thinks about Samsung phones). EE returns Karen said:

"I cannot upgrade until february 2021..."

But in light of pixel 4 issues, can I ask for early upgrade? Any thoughts

welcome. Thanks for reading.

Regards, Old School Tech.

[James_B]

Hi @OldSchoolTech,

I'm sorry to hear you are experiencing similar issues with your replacement phone. Please get in touch with Google to let them know.

If you'd like to check your upgrade eligibility, text UP to 150 or get in touch with Customer Care.

Thanks

James

[OldSchoolTech]

Pixel 4 Update: Tips, Tricks & Upgrade Questions:

okay... I've been "living" with my "refurbished" Pixel 4 for awhile now... i wont be using google phones again, and here's why:

it works - most of the time - it detects when i use it as a router (most of the time) (i have to plug it into my i5 PC so it charges and allows me to check things like emails quickly). it appears to lose connection (or cannot detect I'm plugging into a PC, sometimes)...so you have to fiddle about, re-plugging in cable until it decides to show USB preferences correctly...

Tip: you have to use official pixel 4 cable (USB-C type) to charge /and or use phone as a modem. (as far as I can tell generic cables do not have the correct "resistance" for pixel phones).

its not a reliable connection, "out and about" battery life becomes an issue. it worked ok on a recent holiday (and EE even sent me a helpful text message about "addons" abroad): that kept my phone working in a crucial situation (finding hotels and routes to places) so, big thanks to EE on that front 💖

After returning from holiday, i noticed I was getting "no network" signal on pixel 4, so i checked EE's network status page:

https://coverage.ee.co.uk/coverage/ee

once one enters device name and postcode, EE helpfully has a link called "try these quick fixes" (for network issues). one of those fixes recommends "check you have the latest software".

Tip: "latest software" actually means latest android system: in this case "android 12".

so.. i mustered my courage, and installed android 12 on pixel 4. (android 12 is a big update, but I had no issues with pixel 4, once phone restarted). i also noticed, after update and restart I had no issues with EE's 4G signal strength. happy days...

checking my EE account, I notice I'm (now) eligible for a phone upgrade (I'm guessing that means I can ditch this unreliable pixel 4 unit: hooray)!

i still do not know why EE do not stock HTC phones..? (battery life and phone quality are much better)

My question relates to Samsung 22 Ultra (a very, very good phone that EE appear to stock):

Can i get "unlimited data plan" at my current "rate" (plan of £52 per month) if I trade in pixel 4 for a new Samsung 22 Ultra? I am not actually sure how I "trade in" (do i have to visit a local EE store, please)? Advice welcome.

thanks to all at EE for their continued support 👍

kind regards, OldSchoolTech

[Leanne_T]

Hi @OldSchoolTech

Thanks for coming back here 🙂

If you give us a call on 150 the team will go through your options with you for an upgrade. Or, you can view this in your My EE account and select upgrade and you will see the option to trade in when this is an option. 

Leanne.