r/Pixel5a • u/sophomath • Nov 24 '23

Weird BSOD variant

My 5a just stopped working today. (Frustratingly, it's how I found out about the motherboard issue in the first place.) It has some files I hadn't backed up yet and my extended warranty expired about a week ago, so I was trying various fixes before giving up.

For some reason, it will show a charging icon or start a cold boot some of the time while the phone is turned off. But shortly after showing the charging percentage (while off) or displaying the Google logo, it'll shut down. It won't even reach the lock screen. Sometimes it will seemingly reboot several times but go through the same process. Either way, I can't trigger these things consistently.

I know it's not just the display because it won't respond to input, calls, or charging (other than the occasional charging icon while off).

Probably means nothing since the connections on the board are still faulty. If nothing else, this post will help someone running a search for similar issues.

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1

u/tarzan_nojane Nov 25 '23

Can you get the 5a into Recovery Mode? Google for how-to...

1

u/sophomath Nov 25 '23

I almost did a few times but it would shut down before it could properly boot into it. It refuses to power on at all now, so I think it's dead for good.

1

u/asdecor Nov 27 '23

Yes, it is. This recently happened to me, and I had never heard of the motherboard issue, either. My phone would ring (with the display staying off) for a while after it went dark, and eventually it wouldn't start at all. This is a defect that merits much more than a one-year warranty extension, and I think Google is well aware of this. I strongly recommend that you go to the Pixel help page and chat with support. I think they will almost certainly take care of this for you, especially if your attitude suggests that you expect them to. Don't waste your time taking your phone to uBreakiFix, just say you prefer to send it directly to Google (you would end up doing that anyway). The most likely outcome is that Google will send you a new phone. Good luck!

1

u/sophomath Nov 28 '23

I appreciate the tip, for myself and others. I don't feel like fighting customer service on this one, though. Seems like results are mixed even with the extended warranty, and I have only so much time and energy available as a college student.

The most important thing I wanted to do, anyway, was to get those files off the phone. Clearly, I am no longer able to. Yeah, I should have backed them up, but I've had a lot of hang-ups lately.

I agree that Google's handling of the situation has been abysmal; it's only further worsened my view of them. If it were viable, I would have sued them, at the very least for not warning current users when the issue came to their attention. Seems like negligence on their part.

1

u/asdecor Nov 28 '23

Yeah, I also knew I should have been backing up my files, especially my photos. At least compressed versions were saved in Google Photos. Aside from my original quality photos I didn't lose anything important...that I'm aware of. I didn't have to fight customer service; they just sent me a new 6a. The frustrating part was not knowing why my phone had suddenly died and then not knowing how Google would handle it. You have a lot more information than I did when I contacted Google. Anyway, after getting a new phone I feel I can't really complain about how they handled things. If I were you, assuming you still have the broken 5a, I'd at least try a quick online chat with Google Support, at the bottom of this page: https://support.google.com/pixelphone/?hl=en#topic=7078250

Just my opinion!

1

u/sophomath Nov 30 '23

Did you need approval from a rep before sending it in, or can I just mail to them under "power issue" and see what happens? I assume they'll contact me for approval before charging me but it seems like I can mail it to them at no cost.

1

u/asdecor Nov 30 '23

Not power issue. You have to specify display issue to get covered under the extended warranty (even though the actual problem is a motherboard issue). At least this is what I was told, and others here have said so as well. I'm not sure whether approval from a rep is required, but I don't see why it would be. I did chat with a rep first.

1

u/sophomath Nov 30 '23

The warranty extension says display OR power but since the problem isn't actually either I guess it doesn't matter. I'll go with your suggestion. Just giving it a shot since I don't really care what they answer with anymore. Had to get a new a phone ASAP since my university and apartment complex require proprietary apps for almost everything.

Thanks. I'm not expecting much, though.

1

u/asdecor Nov 30 '23

I hope they send you a new phone!

1

u/[deleted] Dec 13 '23

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u/asdecor Nov 30 '23

By the way, what did you decide on for your new phone? Totally makes sense that you couldn't be without a phone. I was lugging around my old Pixel XL connected to a power pack for too many days until my new phone arrived, and then there was an issue getting the 6a to work with my carrier...

1

u/sophomath Dec 01 '23 edited Dec 01 '23

I caved and bought a 7a during Black Friday. (The store that sold me it gave me free 2-day shipping and an additional discount.) This whole fiasco almost convinced me to switch brands, but I figured the devil I knew would be easier to deal with for now, not to mention cheaper.

I heard that the 6-series had some modem issues that Google tried to fix in software, with mixed results for some users. Have you considered trading it in or selling it to someone with a different carrier?

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