GoKawiilJoe Maring / Android Authority
TL;DR A Pixel 10 Pro XL customer claims Google returned their phone damaged and stuck in a bootloader loop after a warranty repair attempt for battery issues.
Google reportedly blamed the customer for the rear panel damage and asked for payment before proceeding, while the customer believes the damage may have occurred during the repair process.
Similar complaints around denied Pixel warranty claims and disputed physical damage have repeatedly surfaced online, raising fresh concerns about Google’s after-sales support.
Google’s Pixel warranty troubles are back in the spotlight, and this time, a Pixel 10 Pro XL customer claims the company returned their phone damaged and unusable after a repair request.
The person shared a lengthy thread on X detailing their experience with Google support after their roughly seven-month-old handset began developing battery-related problems. According to the post, they tried several troubleshooting methods before finally sending the device to Google under warranty. That’s where things allegedly started falling apart.
After inspecting the phone, Google reportedly informed the customer that the Pixel had damage on the rear panel. The claim was immediately disputed, with the Pixel 10 Pro XL user saying the device had been inside a protective case since day one and showed no visible cracks or dents before shipment. The customer now suspects the damage may have occurred during the battery replacement process. Instead of acknowledging a possible repair error, however, Google allegedly blamed the issue on the person who submitted the claim and demanded payment before moving ahead with the repair.
Hadlee Simons / Android Authority
The customer blatantly refused, and Google eventually shipped the handset back. But according to the X thread, the situation only became worse from there. The person behind the post claims there was no rear panel damage even after the repair attempt and says the Pixel now boots directly into a bootloader loop, rendering it effectively unusable. At the time the thread was published, the phone had reportedly been stuck in that state for hours. Frustrated by the experience, the Pixel customer went so far as to call Google’s warranty process “a scam.”
To Google’s credit, the official Made by Google X account publicly responded, apologizing and asking for additional details via direct messages. Since then, though, there hasn’t been any meaningful update on whether the matter was resolved.
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