Still seeing your Google Pixel’s battery drain faster than it should? You're not alone. Google has marked the long-running idle battery drain bug as fixed and is rolling out a patch to support Pixel devices. But many users say the latest update hasn't resolved the problem.
It's still buggy in Google-Ville
A bug appeared after Google's March 2026 Pixel update. Users across the Google Pixel 7 through Pixel 10 series noticed their phones were losing battery much faster than usual, even when they weren't actively using them.
Some reported needing to charge their phones two or three times a day, while others found that overnight idle drain had increased dramatically.
The suspected cause was that affected phones weren't entering Android's Deep Doze state, a low-power mode that normally activates when a device is idle.
Google's own reports suggest the phone's Global Positioning System (GPS) failed to enter its own low-power state. It repeatedly woke the Google Tensor processor and blocked the phone from sleeping properly, which likely led to the excessive idle battery drain.
Google eventually acknowledged the bug on its issue tracker. In July 2026, it marked the issue as fixed. The patch is included in the July Monthly Patch Release for the Pixel 9 and Pixel 10 series.
The Pixel 8a and Pixel 9a are expected to receive it in September 2026. However, many users are still saying that the update hasn't improved battery life, while others confirm that the fix has worked.
Although you can't speed up the September rollout or force another bug fix, troubleshooting can still help. Check Settings > Battery > Battery usage to see if a particular app is consuming excessive power.
Also, restrict background activity for apps that appear unusually active, and install any pending app updates. You can also restart your phone and test in Safe Mode to determine whether a third-party app is responsible.
March 2026 Pixel Drop in all its glory
The March 2026 Pixel update brings a collection of new artificial intelligence and personalization features across Pixel phones and watches.
Among them is an enhanced Circle to Search, which now understands multiple objects in a scene at once. If you see an outfit you like, you can circle the entire look and the feature will identify each individual item, from the coat to the shoes.
It also adds a Try It On feature, which lets you see how eligible clothing would look on you or on a model before buying.
Gemini's new app actions are also here to answer questions, and Gemini can now carry out tasks inside supported apps. You can order groceries, book a ride, or reorder your usual coffee.
Beyond those, the March Pixel Drop also introduces Magic Cue for context-aware restaurant suggestions inside chats, turns Now Playing into a standalone app with listening history, and expands At a Glance with transit, sports, and finance updates.
It also adds AI-generated icon themes, broadens Scam Detection and Call Notes to more regions, and brings a range of Pixel Watch improvements including left-behind phone alerts, automatic phone locking, Find Hub, one-handed gestures, Express Pay, earthquake alerts, and wider Satellite SOS availability.
