Google provides a quick fix to user-reported Pixel phone battery drain problems

Google Pixel 6 and 6 Pro.

Earlier this week, Google Pixel users saw overheating and battery-draining issues on their Pixel 6, 6 Pro, 7, and 7 Pro devices.

Engadget and Android Authority reported that Pixel users took to forums like Reddit and Google’s Pixel Phone Help threads to look for solutions to the phones’ sudden battery problems.

Commenters on Reddit collectively identified the Google app and some of Google’s background processes (e.g. Android System Intelligence) being the main culprit for the increased battery drain. Before Google’s fix, users resorted to disabling the Google app, rolling back the app version, and even factory-reset their Pixel phones to little or no relief.

In the wee hours of this morning (16 May 2023), Google pushed out an automatic update to fix the issue. A Google spokesperson forwarded the following statement to several tech publications:

"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 behaviour immediately. This fix does not require an app update."

Are you one of the users affected by the bug? Are you still experiencing these overheating and battery drain issues after the update? Let us know.

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Source: Engadget, Android Authority