Several Pixel users have reported battery drain and overheating problems with their phones over the past few days. Investigations have revealed that a recent update to a Google app is the root cause of the issue. Google has responded quickly by releasing a server-side update to address the problem and fix the battery drain on Pixel phones.
According to a statement made to 9to5Google, Google has acknowledged that a change made on the backend of the Google app has caused battery drain on a select group of Android devices. This issue has been observed on Pixel phones, with users attributing it to the latest Google app versions and the May 2023 update released for Pixel devices this month.
Users of Pixel 6 and 7 series devices have primarily reported being impacted by the Google app’s battery drain, with some stating that their battery life was reduced by half.
Google has stated that a fix for this problem is already being rolled out to all devices and does not require any app or system updates. It is a server-side update that should rectify the issue “immediately.”
On the update announcement, Google said:
We have recently identified that a backend modification to the Google App has inadvertently led to increased battery drain on a specific range of Android devices. As soon as we became aware of this issue, we promptly implemented a solution, and affected users can expect their devices to resume normal functioning without delay. Importantly, this fix does not necessitate an update to the app itself.