Android phone catches fire after update

According to Android Authority, four of these explosions occurred at the beginning of the year. The company addressed the battery heating issues with a software update on July 2. However, recent events suggest that this update may have exacerbated the problem rather than solved it.

A Reddit user wrote that their Google Pixel 6a caught fire while charging at their bedside overnight after an update. "It was a terrible experience," the user said, adding that it was fortunate the battery wasn't facing them.

The user, who stated that he inhaled the toxic smoke for a long time because his room was closed during the fire, said, "I woke up to a terrible smell and a loud noise. The fire had started. I pulled the phone by the cord and threw it on the floor. The sheets caught fire, and my air conditioner was damaged."

With the update, Google offered free battery replacements to users in the US, Canada, UK, Germany, Singapore, Japan, and India. However, for users outside of these countries, the only solution was a software update.

After the update, some users reported that their devices were getting unusually hot. One user wrote, "It reaches 140 degrees Celsius while charging, but it goes up to 120 degrees Celsius during normal use," while another wrote, "I had no heating issues before the update, but now it's constantly overheating."

Images of the devices, showing their internals burned, their screens melted, and their casings partially destroyed, were shared on Reddit. Some users argued that Google should recall all devices with battery issues and issue refunds.

Google has not yet made an official statement regarding the latest explosion.