Google Pixel Phone Battery Problems: Google Explains Cause. Here's How To Fix It
Google updated its Pixel phones earlier in May with a routine update. Some users surprisingly found their battery life plummeting. Why would a simple tweaks and fixes update do this? Google has now commented and explained the fault. Here's how to fix it.
Google Pixel 9
Getty Images
The update arrived on May 6, with security patches for the Pixel 6 and later handsets. It was an update not to be skipped, because it had 28 security issues which were addressed in it.
It also had some feature tweaks, such as a fix for a problem where the microphone wasn't recording well and a solution for problems caused when pairing by Bluetooth with selected smartwatches was impacted. So far, so normal.
But soon after installing it, some Pixel users noticed terrible battery life, as reported by 9to5Google. Not only was the battery life dwindling much faster than usual, there were also reports of overheating issues.
'As always with battery issues following an update, much of this can boil down to perception. However, with the quantity of user reports circulating, it's hard to write this one off. The issue appears to be affecting all Pixel devices, from 2021's Pixel 6 up to the latest Pixel 9 generation,' the site commented.
Now we know why.
Talking to the same site, Google has explained that it wasn't its fault at all. 'Speaking to 9to5Google, Google says that battery issues being reported by Pixel owners with the May 2025 are due to an ongoing bug with the Instagram app and have nothing to do with the May update itself,' it said.
It's good to know the reason but that doesn't solve the problem, of course. However, there's good news. It seems that the Instagram issue makes sense as a number of complaints about battery life commented that Instagram was 'eating up battery life'.
And better news: the latest Instagram update fixes the issue. If you've been suffering with it, update Instagram pronto and it looks like it'll solve the problem.
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