Google Pixel just died

Questions on how we spend our money and our time - consumer goods and services, home and vehicle, leisure and recreational activities
Post Reply
User avatar
Topic Author
CULater
Posts: 2832
Joined: Sun Nov 13, 2016 9:59 am
Location: Hic sunt dracones

Google Pixel just died

Post by CULater »

Not much luck with Pixel. I got a Pixel 1 last September and it spontaneously erased itself a few days after I started using it. Google replaced it with another one, and now it seems to be dead as doornail. Turned it off last night and turned it on this morning but nothing. Plugged in the charger cord, but nothing. It's dead, done, completely lifeless. So, what's the best thing to do? Not sure I want to return it to Google with all my personal info on it. Is there anything else I can try to bring this dead dog back to life?
On the internet, nobody knows you're a dog.
User avatar
Pajamas
Posts: 6015
Joined: Sun Jun 03, 2012 6:32 pm

Re: Google Pixel just died

Post by Pajamas »

Did you do the suggested troubleshooting?

https://support.google.com/pixelphone/a ... ic=7084611
User avatar
sperry8
Posts: 3065
Joined: Sat Mar 29, 2008 9:25 pm
Location: Miami FL

Re: Google Pixel just died

Post by sperry8 »

CULater wrote: Sun Apr 15, 2018 10:33 am Not much luck with Pixel. I got a Pixel 1 last September and it spontaneously erased itself a few days after I started using it. Google replaced it with another one, and now it seems to be dead as doornail. Turned it off last night and turned it on this morning but nothing. Plugged in the charger cord, but nothing. It's dead, done, completely lifeless. So, what's the best thing to do? Not sure I want to return it to Google with all my personal info on it. Is there anything else I can try to bring this dead dog back to life?
You surely got a lemon. However, I've had my Pixel for quite some time and love it. Never failed me. Data points of one :beer
BH Contests: 23 #89 of 607 | 22 #512 of 674 | 21 #66 of 636 |20 #253/664 |19 #233/645 |18 #150/493 |17 #516/647 |16 #121/610 |15 #18/552 |14 #225/503 |13 #383/433 |12 #366/410 |11 #113/369 |10 #53/282
DetroitRick
Posts: 1479
Joined: Wed Mar 23, 2016 9:28 am
Location: SE Michigan

Re: Google Pixel just died

Post by DetroitRick »

The link that Pajamas posted is the place to start. It's got all the common steps to diagnose.

Bear in mind too that chargers and cords do fail. It's easy to first eliminate that possibility via those posted steps. If your phone was pretty low last night when you last used it, overnight battery drain could finish off the remaining juice. I just had to replace my Nexus 6p charger 2 weeks ago, in fact. When it died, it just failed to charge at all. Replacement with a reliable aftermarket charger was easy and cheap, but took some research to get past the safety issues sometimes found in that market.

Hope you can bring it back to life!
User avatar
Alexa9
Posts: 1872
Joined: Tue Aug 30, 2016 9:41 am

Re: Google Pixel just died

Post by Alexa9 »

C'est la vie. Good time to upgrade. Pixel 2 is great. So is the Galaxy S8 or S9.
I've also had great luck with Apple hardware although iOS has some limitations.
User avatar
beyou
Posts: 6868
Joined: Sat Feb 27, 2010 2:57 pm
Location: If you can make it there

Re: Google Pixel just died

Post by beyou »

CULater wrote: Sun Apr 15, 2018 10:33 am Not sure I want to return it to Google with all my personal info on it.
Google already had all your personal data before you bought the phone :-)
User avatar
Ged
Posts: 3944
Joined: Mon May 13, 2013 1:48 pm
Location: Roke

Re: Google Pixel just died

Post by Ged »

blevine wrote: Sun Apr 15, 2018 12:46 pm
CULater wrote: Sun Apr 15, 2018 10:33 am Not sure I want to return it to Google with all my personal info on it.
Google already had all your personal data before you bought the phone :-)
Not to mention all of your new personal data since you bought the phone.

They probably have an image of the data stored on your phone that they can transfer to your new phone too. That's what happened when I bought my current Google phone.
madbrain
Posts: 6512
Joined: Thu Jun 09, 2011 5:06 pm
Location: San Jose, California

Re: Google Pixel just died

Post by madbrain »

Did you have a password set on the device that you had to type in at startup time ? If so, and it was running a recent version of Android, the device was encrypted. The data on it would not be recoverable without that password, at least in theory, unless someone found a backdoor into it. I would not worry about returning an encrypted phone.

I have a tablet that I got last week on which the screen broke. I made a claim under my credit card purchase protection. They will likely ask me to send it in. It didn't have a password set, which means the data should be recoverable by someone sufficiently knowledgeable - at worst, the simplest would be to repair the screen, since the device is still encrypted with a built-in key - it's just that that key isn't protected by a password.

The screen still displays, but is non-responsive to touch, which prevents me from wiping the device. I can't even shut it off until it runs out of battery. It's been 3 days since the screen broke and it's still at 65% battery. I may resort to trying to use a USB OTG adapter and USB keyboard/mouse in order to be able to wipe it. Bluetooth would not work as that would require pairing, which I can't do with a non responsive screen.
Frome
Posts: 26
Joined: Fri Jan 29, 2016 11:19 am

Re: Google Pixel just died

Post by Frome »

I had this problem with mine. Turns out some lint got stuck in the charging port. You might want to making sure that's clean.
Katietsu
Posts: 7662
Joined: Sun Sep 22, 2013 1:48 am

Re: Google Pixel just died

Post by Katietsu »

I would expect to go through 5 or 6 charging cords and one adaptor replacement during the lifetime of a phone. So another vote to confirm the phone is the problem before you proceed.
denovo
Posts: 4808
Joined: Sun Oct 13, 2013 1:04 pm

Re: Google Pixel just died

Post by denovo »

CULater wrote: Sun Apr 15, 2018 10:33 am Not much luck with Pixel. I got a Pixel 1 last September and it spontaneously erased itself a few days after I started using it. Google replaced it with another one, and now it seems to be dead as doornail. Turned it off last night and turned it on this morning but nothing. Plugged in the charger cord, but nothing. It's dead, done, completely lifeless. So, what's the best thing to do? Not sure I want to return it to Google with all my personal info on it. Is there anything else I can try to bring this dead dog back to life?
As others have said, Google knows everything about you since you're using an Android. I would do the troubleshooting and exercise my warranty rights.
"Don't trust everything you read on the Internet"- Abraham Lincoln
Post Reply