It appears that Google Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones are facing serious issues with their three built-in microphones. In a thread on their support forum, Google acknowledged that the problem is related to hardware and, therefore, cannot be fixed with a software update. As a result, Google is replacing units that have this issue.
Google Employee Brian Rakowski also acknowledged that Google is “taking additional steps to qualify refurbished phones to make sure they don’t have this mic problem. It’s possible that some replacement phones were not properly qualified before we understood this issue, but that’s no longer the case.”
Rakowski also noted that phones manufactured since January 2017 should not have this problem, and that “the incidence of the problem is <<1%.” But even a small percentage can equate to thousands of phones. Considering that investment bank Evercore ISI pegged Google Pixel unit sales at 552,000 for the fourth quarter of 2016, a 1% error rate equates to more than 5,000 units with a microphone problem.
That might be a small number in the grander scheme of things, but for thousands of Pixel owners facing the problem, it’s not insignificant at all.
If you own a Google Pixel that has a microphone problem, this is what Google suggests that you do:
“In terms of customer service and getting a replacement device:
- If you purchased the phone from Google, contact support and describe your problem as a mic failure and explain the symptoms. Our support reps should be trained on this issue and should help you process a return. Google will put a hold your credit card for the replacement and ship you the phone immediately. Once we receive the defective phone and verify the problem, the hold will be removed.
- If you purchased the phone from another retailer, your best bet is to go back to that retailer as they can replace the phone more quickly. Our partner reps should also be trained on this issue. If you don’t want to return to the retailer you purchased from, Google can also process the return, but because the phone was not purchased from us, we must receive the phone (and verify that it’s actually a legit return of a Pixel phone) before shipping the replacement. That normally takes a couple of weeks, which is obviously really tough if you don’t have a backup phone you can use in the interim.”
Google is relatively new to handling hardware problems on smartphones, but it’s encouraging to see that they’re proactively addressing customer concerns and willing to replace verified faulty devices. The customer service experience they serve up now will play an important role in future device sales. And at the end of the day, that’s what any device maker would want.
Thanks for reading our work! Please bookmark 1redDrop.com to keep tabs on the hottest, most happening tech and business news from around the world. On Apple News, please favorite the 1redDrop channel to get us in your news feed.
