Joe Maring / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Several Pixel users have complained of excessive battery drain on their devices.
- The reports have emerged largely following the March Pixel Drop.
- The battery drain is not limited to any specific model and affects a range of Pixel devices, including the latest Pixel 10 series.
Software updates are typically meant to introduce new features and iron out issues from previous releases, but they can also introduce new performance issues. Pixel users have been especially unlucky in this regard, with nearly every monthly update introducing new challenges to daily usage. And now, numerous reports point to an undiagnosed issue causing batteries in Pixel phones, including the new Pixel 10 series, to drain much faster than they did previously.
Don’t want to miss the best from Android Authority?
Several Pixel users appear to be struggling with poor battery life on their devices. From numerous Reddit posts to Google’s Community forums, there are widespread reports of excessive battery drain, even when the phone is in the idle state.
The degree to which One Redditor says their Pixel 9 Pro has gone from lasting an entire day to requiring a charge two to three times. Another says their Pixel 10 Pro previously lasted 16 hours with seven hours of screen time, which has now reduced to “barely 12 hours” with six hours of screen-on time. Another user couldn’t mince their words and wrote:
My battery has been absolute dogshit since the update. Hoping for a fix. P10 Pro.
From the numerous comments on posts about the topic, the excessive battery drain does not appear to be limited to a specific model. Although the majority of complaints are for the newer Pixel 9 and Pixel 10 series phones, we’ve also spotted several reports for older models, including Pixel 7 and Pixel 8 lineups (including A series models).
Many of these reports date back two to three weeks, with users claiming that the issues emerged after the March 2026 Pixel Drop. Although Google’s April 2026 update for Pixel devices largely focuses on patching previous bugs and issues, it does not appear to address the battery drain.
What may be causing the issue?
While users have been speculating about the causes of this battery drain on their Pixel phones, one user claims it may be because of a bug preventing on-device GPS from entering into a “suspended state” when not being used. This, in turn, keeps the CPU up and running “even when the device is completely isolated in Airplane Mode with all radios manually toggled off.”
We’re unsure if that is indeed the culprit, since Google has yet to acknowledge it in the specific Issue Tracker thread or share any updates.
Thank you for being part of our community. Read our Comment Policy before posting.
