[Updated] Google Pixel 7 & 7 Pro rear camera glass allegedly shattering without dropping, according to some users

New updates are being added at the bottom of this story…….

Original story (published on Dec. 26, 2022) follows:

Google’s premium Pixel 7 and 7 Pro smartphones have a number of upgrades including 5G connectivity, rapid charging, and water and dust protection.

Despite receiving positive reviews from buyers, there were still some bugs and other issues that made the experience unsatisfying.

For instance, we recently highlighted random rebooting of the smartphones while charging.

Google Pixel 7 and 7 Pro rear camera glass shattering

Some Google Pixel 7 and 7 Pro owners (1,2,3,4,5,6) have now been reporting an issue where the rear camera glass of their devices is randomly shattering.

Pixel 7 pro Camera glass shattered Should this be covered by warranty? Had it in my pocket, and when I took it out it was like this. 99% sure I didn’t bump anything.
Source

According to reports, the camera breaks or shatters without falling or dropping. The inexplicability of such instances is surely confusing for some users.

It seems that Google is allegedly aware of the issue and that the team is currently reviewing the cases for a resolution.

Even though the root cause of the problem is not known yet, some affected users have been successful at placing a replacement.

However, there are also others (1,2,3) who are still struggling to get a replacement for their faulty devices.

No official acknowledgment

We’ve seen that some people have been sharing screenshots or emails from the team’s representatives. But Google hasn’t officially acknowledged the issue.

There has been an instance where a member of the support team allegedly confirmed that the shattered glass of the devices isn’t included under the warranty. But this is also not officially backed by Google.

That said, we’ll keep tabs on the latest developments and update this article as and when something noteworthy comes up.

05:30 pm (IST): Some Pixel 7 owners (1,2) are now claiming that Google gave them a negative response about warranty coverage for the shattered camera problem. And the repair cost for the same is reportedly around $200.

It appears that Google has a set cost for any glass repair. For instance, when one of the user’s Pixel 7 back glass was broken, they received a similar bill.

Silly mistake of mine. Its still working… Now i send a repair request and Google estimated 189€. That does seem kinda low… Can i expect a lot more once its actually there?
Source

06:28 pm (IST): Google is now asking those affected to get in touch with support for further assistance.

Hi Kerri, we’re sorry to hear about the damage to your Pixel phone. We suggest you reach out to our support team, so that they could take a closer look. Here’s the link https://goo.gle/PixelHelp Rest assured, our team is well equipped and will do their best. Appreciate it. ^Tina (Source)

12:36 am (IST): Some Pixel 7 users (1,2,3,4) are claiming that the change in temperature (from warm to cold) could potentially be the reason behind the shattering of camera glass.

18:09 pm (IST): A user claims they were quoted a price of €330 to get the shattered camera glass repaired by Google. However, a local store only asked for €30 to repair it.

15:09 pm (IST): According to Google, physical damages void manufacturer warranty. So, users have to pay for repairs in order to get their Pixel devices fixed (1,2,3).

10:59 am (IST): One of those affected say that they were offered 20% discount by Google for buying a new Pixel phone.

12:12 pm (IST): According to one of those affected, Google has refused to acknowledge this issue as a manufacturing defect and asked them to visit uBreakiFix to get it fixed.

Same here. Happened during the cold spell. Google sent me to UbreakIFix, and they refused to acknowledge it as spontaneous and blaming me for impact! (Source)

12:09 pm (IST): According to a Redditor, Google support has refused to acknowledge this issue and said that it’s not a known bug.

Google Support also told me that they haven’t received any other reports of shattered camera glass on the Pixel 7. According to them, I’m the first person to have this issue. (Source)

02:08 pm (IST): Some of those affected pointed out (1, 2) that this could be happening due to poor design.

Users observed that the aluminum used on the camera bar for preventing excessive heat from reaching the chipset gets heated up the most on high usage.

And pocketing the phone with multiple processes running in the background could limit the cooling and increase aluminum temperature. Hence, these temperature changes may cause stress on the glass and it cracks.

02:25 pm (IST): Users facing this issue will have to opt-out of Google’s binding arbitration agreement within 30 days of getting the device in order file a class action lawsuit against Google.

11:24 am (IST): An affected user was recently given a free new phone by Google. This basically means that Google is aware of the problem with the glass and is also willing to fix it.

They gave me two options: I could send in the damaged phone after being factory reset, and they would send me a new one, or I could request a new one with a temporary hold on a credit card with that hold being removed once they got the old phone.
Source

10:25 am (IST): Google still isn’t taking any responsibility for Pixel 7’s widespread camera shattering issue and says that the warranty doesn’t include any physical damage.

Meanwhile, a Redditor said that they were able to fix the shattered glass at an inexpensive cost by simply replacing it with a new one. Here’s how.

01:09 pm (IST): Users who have a Google Fi’s device protection plan can get their camera glass repaired at $79.

01:20 pm (IST): According to fresh reports (1,2,3,4,5), it looks like this is indeed a hardware issue that Google needs to address as soon as possible.

05:05 pm (IST): A redditor claims that after 4 months of Google refusing to fix the shattered camera glass under warranty, they finally took responsibility.

Also, they didn’t just change the camera glass, they sent the redditor a brand new phone.

NOTE: You can also check the Google Pixel 7 series bugs/issues and updates tracker.

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