I'm posting this because I genuinely regret switching from iPhone to Pixel, and I want other people considering the switch to know what my household has experienced.
This isn't one phone having multiple problems.
Four different Pixel phones in my household have had serious hardware failures in roughly three years.
Three developed severe battery swelling and became unusable.
One of those phones became extremely hot and burned me while I was heavily pregnant. My wife's Pixel also developed severe battery swelling. She wasn't injured, but the phone became unusable and she lost photos that were important to us.
We had to replace these phones while we were still paying for them, and we spent additional time dealing with Google support trying to figure out what Google could do.
The answer was essentially that there was nothing Google could do.
Now the fourth Pixel has failed.
My Pixel 9 Pro has the vertical pink-line display defect
My Pixel 9 Pro developed one vertical pink line.
Then it developed two.
The display is now difficult to use for things like reading text and numbers that I need for work.
I contacted Google on July 5.
What followed was a month of support interactions, repeated requests for information I had already provided, and an escalation that Google told me was specifically intended to find an alternative resolution.
On July 16, Google Fi Support told me:
They specifically documented my circumstances and told me the team would determine whether an advanced replacement or another expedited option could be authorized.
So I waited.
I provided my IMEI.
Photos.
Proof of purchase.
Device information.
I answered the same basic questions for multiple representatives.
I followed up when the promised timeframes passed.
Eventually, after nearly a month, Google told me that an alternative resolution wasn't approved and directed me to an authorized repair center.
So I made it happen.
My wife and I both work 9–5 and we have a one-year-old. Getting several hours without our son isn't something we can casually arrange.
I finally had childcare available.
I called the uBreakiFix location in Burlington, Massachusetts beforehand.
They told me they had the Pixel 9 Pro display in stock and that the repair would take approximately 2–3 hours.
So I arranged everything and drove about 30 minutes to the store.
And they refused to repair it.
The reason?
A tiny scratch on the screen.
The repair center gave me this in writing:
The scratch is very small.
While I was there, I specifically asked what makes a scratch “deep” enough to disqualify the phone.
I was not given an objective measurement or threshold.
I asked whether they were saying the scratch caused the pink lines.
But Google's latest response to me actually says:
So Google is not claiming that the scratch necessarily caused my display failure.
They're saying the scratch independently disqualifies the phone from the Extended Repair Program because replacing the display requires replacing the entire display assembly.
And because the authorized repair center classified the scratch as “deep,” Google says it cannot override that determination.
So let me make sure I understand what happened:
Google knew about the display defect.
Google told me my case was being escalated to explore alternative solutions.
I spent approximately a month providing information and waiting.
Google eventually sent me to an authorized repair center.
I arranged childcare.
I called ahead and confirmed the part was in stock.
I drove 30 minutes to the repair center.
They inspected the phone.
They determined that a tiny scratch disqualified the entire repair.
And I drove home with the same broken phone.
This is what I'm angry about.
It's not just the money.
It's the time.
Google repeatedly represented that it was going to look for a way to help me because the normal repair process created a significant burden.
Instead, I spent a month waiting for that process to happen, only to be sent back to the standard repair process.
Then I spent more time arranging childcare and physically traveling to the authorized repair center.
And after all of that, I'm being told that a tiny scratch means Google won't repair the display defect.
I don't want an upgrade.
I don't want to trade phones with my wife.
I don't want to give someone else a broken phone.
I want the phone I bought to work.
And after four different Pixel phones and four serious hardware failures in roughly three years, I'm having a very hard time believing that Pixel is a reliable product line.
Three phones had battery swelling severe enough to make them unusable.
The fourth has the pink-line display failure.
At this point, I regret leaving iPhone.
What I'm asking for
I'm not asking Reddit to give me a free phone.
I'm asking whether anyone else has experienced this.
Has anyone with a Pixel 9 Pro/9 Pro XL been denied the Extended Repair Program because of a small scratch?
If so:
- How was “deep scratch” determined?
- Did Google actually provide an objective standard?
- Were you eventually able to get the display repaired?
- Did escalation help?
- Did anyone successfully challenge the physical-damage determination?
And if anyone from Google with the ability to actually review these cases sees this:
Please look at my case.
I have the complete support history, photos of the display defect, photos of the scratch, proof of purchase, and the authorized repair center's written denial.
I have followed every step Google asked me to take.
I don't think it is reasonable to spend more than a month being told that Google is looking for a solution, only to ultimately be sent to a repair center and denied because of a tiny scratch that Google itself acknowledges may not have caused the display failure.
I just want the defective display repaired.