I worked as a phone engineer for 3 years, and Pixel 7 battery swelling has me worried

The reality is that phone batteries are not the most impressive or interesting part of a phone. However, they're easily one of the most important pieces of hardware in a device, and when things go wrong with them, it's a real issue.

Battery issues are certainly nothing new, but sometimes a problem is constant across generations, and this is where Google seems to be finding itself. In a recent series of posts on Google's Support Forum (via Piunikaweb,) users have complained about their Google Pixel 7 series batteries swelling.

One user took to Google’s support forum to explain, “I am writing to report a serious issue with my Pixel 7 Pro, which I purchased approximately two years ago. Recently, I noticed that the side panel of the device has started to separate, as clearly shown in the attached photo. Upon closer inspection, it appears the battery may be swelling, posing a significant safety risk, including the potential for explosion or fire.”

Now, this isn’t the first Google Pixel to feature battery issues; for instance, we recently saw that Google was offering one-time battery replacements for the Pixel 7a due to a wealth of complaints about the battery swelling.

What causes battery issues and what can you do?

First things first, why do batteries swell in the first place? Essentially, it's down to chemical reactions within the battery eventually breaking down internal components. Over time, this leads to a process called "outgassing," which refers to the buildup of gases within the phone. Usually, this occurs when the battery reaches a certain age, or it can be caused by misuse or damage to the battery.

There are ways to avoid some of the causes, including taking the right precautions when charging your phone. We have a full breakdown of how to care for your battery, but in essence, it boils down to keeping your phone at around 80% of charge, rather than constantly peaking at 100%. You also want to make sure the phone doesn’t drop below 20%.

Thankfully, the Google Pixel 7 series does have adaptive charging, which can help to better control your phone's charging behavior.

If it’s a faulty battery, then there isn’t much you can do to prevent this from occurring. If the fault is down to damage to the battery, there are two possibilities. The first issue is that the battery isn’t seated properly in the phone, resulting in increased force when the phone is impacted. You could grab a case for the Pixel 7 or Pixel 7 Pro if you haven’t already, but that’s by no means a perfect solution.

Google has a problem with it's batteries

Here's the issue that I have with this entire thing: it's far too common at this point for a phone of this age. It's worth noting Google released the Pixel 7 series back in 2022 and has stated that it would support the phone until 2027. With that in mind, seeing these issues arising again is worrying and raises the question of whether your Pixel phone will actually last that long.

Not only is this an issue, but the posts on the support forum paint a mixed picture regarding Google's solutions. Some users have reported Google offered third-party battery replacements and the like. However, one user stated that Google offered to refund the cost of a third-party battery replacement from an authorized repair center if the user had a receipt. However, any damage to the screen and back panel would be counted as out of warranty.

For now, we don't know why this issue seems so prevalent in the Pixel 7 generation. I've contacted Google for a comment, and will update this article if and when I receive a response. Until then, let me know in the comments below if you've experienced battery swelling in your Pixel phone and any recommendations you personally received from Google.

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