According to a recall notice from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), “Incidents have occurred resulting in serious burn injuries.”

“An overheating battery could pose a risk of fire and/or burns to a user.”

The smartphone was released in July 2022 and sold by popular retailers including JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman and Officeworks until April this year.

This issue does not affect all Pixel 6a devices, only those with the model number G1AZG are impacted.

A firmware update with new battery management features designed to reduce the risk of overheating was released for Google Pixel 6a smartphones on July 8.

Owners of the smartphone have been advised that they do not need to return their devices, but should take steps to check if their phone is affected.

The new battery management system will be activated for impacted devices once it receives the firmware update and reaches 400 battery cycles. 

For devices not affected by the issue, the firmware update will not alter battery management, and the device will continue to function as it did previously.

Google said some smartphone owners may be eligible to receive the cost of repairs, a cash payment or a Google Store hardware discount credit.