Announced at Made by Google: You Can Finally Replace the Batteries on These New Pixel Devices

Smartphones have not had good history with repairability, but after legal pressure in regions like the EU and states like Oregon, this has improved regularly in recent years. Small aircraft, such as smartwatches and headphones, have had more problems on this front, but now Google is looking to change this.

In the past, if your case or your smartwatch suddenly stopped loading, you simply had no choice but to buy a new one or send it to be repaired internally. There was simply no easy way for companies to manufacture batteries on these devices reapprocice by the user and to keep them as thin and light as consumers await it.

With the Pixel Buds 2A and Pixel Watch 4, however, Google Bucking this trend. Thanks to an intelligent design, the batteries of these two devices are replaceable and you can even replace the screen on the Pixel watch.

Let’s start with the Pixel Buds 2A. If your case suddenly stops loading your headphones, you have some options. As before, if you are under warranty, you can simply send it to Google or take it to a Google store to have it repaired for free (and if you are out of warranty, you can always do it, but you will have to pay). But now you can also buy replacement parts directly from Google. They are not yet completely available, because the buds are still in pre-order, and Google has not yet said how much a replacement battery will cost (I will check, but do not expect an answer). But it will certainly be cheaper than getting a whole new case, and Google says it promises to continue selling replacement batteries up to five years after the end of life (whenever Google decides the device is obsolete, probably in several years) for the Pixel Buds 2A.

The company has also done its best to make sure that the replacement is easy. There are small screws at the bottom of the headphones, and you will simply have to remove them and slide inside the case to find the battery compartment and exchange your dead battery for a new one. The only complaint that I have is that the screws are not phillips head or flat, but rather require a Torx screwdriver, which is a little less common. Presumably, Google will sell the required screwdriver along its battery repair parts, but I contacted to check and update this message when I hear.

Credit: Michelle Ehrhardt

In any case, it is certainly an improvement in relation to past years. Check the green sticker in the photo above to see where the battery compartment is – you will just need to slip it to finish your repair.

Credit: Michelle Ehrhardt

The same rules apply to the Pixel 4 watch, except that you can also exchange the screen on this device. You will also need a Torx screwdriver here, but Google confirmed to me that there was no adhesive or heat involved, and a spokesperson estimated that it would take about 30 to 40 minutes to replace the battery and the screen, if you make all your repairs at a time.

The capture? On the Pixel Buds 2A, the headphones themselves have no replaceable batteries, but it is always far from everything we have obtained from other major manufacturers like Apple. Google launched a lot of shadow on Apple during its event made by Google today, mainly on the slow adoption of AI by competition. But if you ask me is what the Android manufacturer should be the most proud today.