Google has ticked the Pixel's idle battery drain bug off its to-do list, marking the issue as "Fixed" on its public tracker, claiming the bug has finally been fixed.
The Pixel battery drain bug has to be one of the most long-running and disruptive problems the Pixel line has suffered in a long while.
Despite the problem being known, Pixel May update lands, but doesn't fix the battery drain issue before Google was able to claim a fix.
They point to the fact the July update says nothing about bug fixes or the battery drain issue, but, more damningly, that more than a few people are still experiencing problems with battery drain after they've installed the latest update.
So while Google has ticked off the battery drain problem as solved, it appears this bug's story will continue on.
Google has ticked the Pixel's idle battery drain bug off its to-do list, marking the issue as "Fixed" on its public tracker, claiming the bug has finally been fixed.
The fix has supposedly landed for Pixel 10 and 9 units, though 9a and 8a owners will have to wait longer for the patch to arrive on their devices.
So well done, Google, cheers all around, right? Unfortunately not. A number of fans are pouring cold water on the celebrations, saying their devices are still suffering from the problem after the update.
Google claims the issue is fixed, fans say otherwise
Pixel used Drain. It was super effective!
The Pixel battery drain bug has to be one of the most long-running and disruptive problems the Pixel line has suffered in a long while.
First popping up as a result of the March 2026 update, fans immediately noticed their Pixel phones were no longer lasting as long between charges. While first spotted on a Pixel 9 Pro XL phone, it quickly became clear this issue was widespread enough to be spotted on phones all the way down to the Pixel 7.
What followed was months of waiting for Google to fix the issue. One user correctly diagnosed the problem in April, noticing that the Pixel's Deep Doze feature wasn't able to trigger because a bug was causing the processor to work overtime while the phone was idle.
Despite the problem being known, Pixel May update lands, but doesn't fix the battery drain issue before Google was able to claim a fix. Now, with the July 2026 update, Google claims to have solved the issue.
However, plenty of users don't believe Google. They point to the fact the July update says nothing about bug fixes or the battery drain issue, but, more damningly, that more than a few people are still experiencing problems with battery drain after they've installed the latest update.
Battery issues can be linked to a few different sources, of course. One of our writers found his Pixel's battery lasted a lot longer after a few settings changes. But on the whole, it seems possible the problem is still there.
The patch for the problem has not been released for everyone yet. As mentioned, the patch is rolling out on Pixel 10 and Pixel 9 devices, but those on Pixel 9a and 8a phones will have to wait until September.
Crucially, there's also no mention of the Pixel 8 or 7 receiving this update, and those phones have fallen victim to this bug in the past.
So while Google has ticked off the battery drain problem as solved, it appears this bug's story will continue on. At least for now.
