No smartphone is perfect, but more so than almost any other Android phone, Google Pixel devices seem to find themselves in the spotlight for bugs and software issues. That reputation is being reinforced once again as numerous Pixel owners report that one particular app — specifically, the Google app — is causing significant battery drain and overheating issues.
If you look at the r/GooglePixel subreddit and Google’s own Pixel Phone Help forums, you’ll find numerous people complaining about their Pixel devices experiencing unusually bad battery life and/or poor thermals. These complaints have been ongoing since earlier this month, and one Pixel owner also reached out to Engadget to voice their concerns about what’s happening. When looking through all these complaints, they all seem to come back to the Google app being the culprit.
One user on r/GooglePixel reported that their Pixel 6 Pro and their wife’s Pixel 6 had been “overheating and using battery doing literally nothing since yesterday.” They also claimed that the phones were “losing 20% battery in under an hour without using it.”
Another Pixel owner on Google’s support forums reports similar problems, with their Pixel 7 showing a significant decrease in battery life and the Google app accounting for 28% of their phone’s total battery usage. The person who contacted Engadget appears to have a similar issue, as they shared a screenshot that shows the Google app hogging up 14% of their Pixel’s battery. They also report that their phone is “still very hot,” even after rolling back to an older version of the Google app.
And the complaints keep piling on the more you dig through these reports. Someone else on Google’s support forums says their Pixel 7 has been “hot” with “terrible battery life all of the sudden [and] Google and Android taking up [a] huge percent of the battery usage.”
This all sounds pretty bad! Thankfully, Google does have a fix for what’s going on.
In a statement sent to Digital Trends, a Google spokesperson said the following:
“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.”
While certainly frustrating to have this issue in the first place, it is good to see Google act so quickly on getting a fix rolled out to users. Now, here’s to hoping something similar doesn’t happen again — especially when the Pixel Tablet and Pixel Fold hit store shelves later next month.
Whether you love or hate the iPhone, there’s no arguing that one area in which Apple excels is building ecosystems. Twenty years ago, the iPod spurred Mac adoption, and today the company has a broad array of products and solutions that work together seamlessly from your pocket to your living room and beyond.
Whether that’s copying text on your MacBook and pasting it on your iPhone, unlocking your Mac with your Apple Watch, or effortlessly moving whatever you’re listening to between an Apple TV, HomePod, and set of AirPods, Apple has almost perfected the magical “just works” experience of using its products together.
I have a not-so-surprising confession: I tend to want every new phone that comes out. I’m a sucker for good marketing, and smartphone launches have some of the best marketing around. Whether it’s a new feature like a telephoto lens, a bigger battery, a more vivid display, or a radically new form factor, I get a bad case of fear of missing out almost every time. It’s why I often find myself buying the most expensive model, despite not really needing to.
So, I was slightly confused when the recent launch of the Google Pixel 8 Pro didn’t leave me feeling like I wanted the phone at all. Or rather, I did, but the desire was undercut by another emotion: annoyance. I’m mad at the Pixel 8 Pro, but it’s not for the reasons you might think.
Google released the next generation of Pixel devices recently, including the Google Pixel 8 and Google Pixel 8 Pro. These have been the best Pixel smartphones in a while, as they pack the improved Tensor G3 chip inside, better cameras, brighter displays, and more — all in a slightly updated design. I’ve been using the phones for a couple of weeks now, and I really like what Google’s done with them.
But Google also added some more photo editing capabilities to the Pixel 8 lineup, with a heavy reliance on AI with the Tensor G3 chip. While these AI-heavy editing tools can help you chase perfection, they shouldn’t be relied on too heavily or abused.
The Pixel 8’s AI tools are impressive …
Magic Editor on the Google Pixel 8 Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends.
Upgrade your lifestyleDigital Trends helps readers keep tabs on the fast-paced world of tech with all the latest news, fun product reviews, insightful editorials, and one-of-a-kind sneak peeks.
