Google claims Pixel battery drain fixed, users report issues

Google has announced a fix for a persistent battery drain issue affecting its Pixel smartphones, though user reports suggest the problem may not be fully resolved. The company stated that its July 2026 software update addresses the bug on recent flagship models, while owners of the Pixel 8a and Pixel 9a are scheduled to receive a patch in September.

The issue, which first emerged following a software update in March 2026, caused phones to lose battery power rapidly even while idle. Users reported that their devices would die prematurely throughout the day, with some experiencing battery life cut in half. The problem was traced to a bug preventing the phone's processor from entering a low-power "Deep Doze" state, causing it to run continuously in the background. This occurred even when phones were placed in airplane mode with all wireless radios disabled.

In a recent update to its public Issue Tracker, Google marked the long-running problem as "Fixed." The company specified that the fix is included in the July update, build MPR/CP2A.260705.006, for the Pixel 9 series, Pixel 10 series, and Pixel 10a. For the Pixel 8a and Pixel 9a, the correction is slated for the September...