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Pixel users see severe battery drain, overheating (Update: Google response)
- Pixel users are reporting severe battery drain and overheating issues on their phones.
- The problem seems to be affecting Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 series users.
- A recent Google app update is to blame, and Google is in the process of issuing a patch.
Update, May 15, 2023 (07:26 PM ET): Google has issued a statement related to the battery drain and overheating issues described in the article below. A Google spokesperson said:
A recent Google app backend change unintentionally resulted in a subset of Android devices experiencing accelerated battery drain. We rolled out a fix shortly after becoming aware of the issue, and impacted users should see their devices return to normal behavior immediately. This fix does not require an app update.
Hopefully, everyone facing these issues should see this update soon.
Original article, May 15, 2023 (01:43 AM ET): Several Pixel users are currently reporting severe battery drain and overheating issues on their phones. The problem was flagged by an Engadget reader, after which the publication discovered a growing thread of complaints from Pixel users on Reddit and Google’s support forums.
“My Pixel 6 Pro and my wife’s Pixel 6 have been overheating and using battery doing literally nothing since yesterday. Like not just warm, HOT. Losing 20% battery in under an hour without using it,” wrote a Reddit user.
“Screen time has been reduced to around 3 hours from roughly around 6 hours,” wrote another Pixel 6a user.
The problem isn’t just limited to the Pixel 6 lineup. Pixel 7 and 7 Pro users are also reporting similar overheating and battery drain issues.
The culprit seems to be a recent update to the Google app. A number of affected users have noticed that the Battery Usage menu on their Pixels lists the Google app as the highest juice guzzler.
“Beyond the battery not lasting the phone is getting really warm so I know it’s harming the battery and potentially the CPU,” wrote a Reddit user.
Those who have tried contacting Google support for a solution haven’t been very successful. The troubleshooting steps suggested by support staff haven’t worked. Rolling back to an older version of the Google app does not fix the problem, nor does a complete factory reset of the phone.
It’s unclear if the problem also affects the recently released Pixel 7a. However, a test conducted by Android Authority shows that the phone tends to become quite hot while charging, thereby resulting in slower charging. It’s not the same Google app-related problem, but we’ll look into that too now.
There’s no official word from Google just yet. We’ll update this article if and when we learn more about a possible resolution from the Pixel maker.