Google Pixel 3 batteries could be aging prematurely

What you need to know

• Pixel 3 users are complaining of unreliable battery performance below 30% charge.
• Some phones see battery life plummet, some shut down entirely.
• Google has not officially acknowledged the issue.

Some owners of the Google Pixel 3 are complaining on Reddit and the Google Support forums about unreliable battery performance as their device dips into the lower third of its charge. The folks over at Android Police posted a few reports and battery usage graphs showing strange battery level reporting, and the users claim that battery levels would drop precipitously and occasionally the phone would shut down suddenly even though the system had reported a decent charge.

This could be an actual battery hardware issue, or it could be an issue with the way the system interfaces with the battery and reports levels to the user. The former would be much more worrisome, as batteries are volatile when they work properly, so any sudden issues must be taken seriously.

The issue is reminiscent of a problem with the Huawei-made Google Nexus 6P. Google recently settled a class-action lawsuit with owners of that device who experienced strange shutdown behavior. The Pixel 3 was designed by Google and manufactured by Foxconn without a more public-facing phone maker in the middle. Google has not acknowledged the issue explicitly and has recommended a variety of fixes, including hard resets and restarting in Safe Mode.