Here’s how to fix the abnormal Google Pixel battery drain issue after the Android 13 update!

The eligible Pixel series started receiving the Android 13 update in August 2022. Undoubtedly the excitement runs high since Android 13 is a major software upgrade. However, as we all know a major stable software rollout is not defect proof or a “0” defect delivery. There are some known issues released, however, the stable rollout of Android 13 has brought some niggling issues that have limited tolerance. According to many Reddit threads as well as reports on the Community forum, many are reporting that they are getting terrible battery life. Battery life is noticeably worse on the Pixel 6 with the battery draining like 10% in 20-30 minutes.

People who have updated from the beta versions like the last one Android 13 beta 4.1 are also complaining about the insane battery drain though. The betas have been reported to be good with battery but the Android 13 update has ruined the experience of SOT for many.

After the Android 13 update, battery has conked off almost from 6-8 hours SOT to 3-4 SOT. Some are reporting a battery drop of 2% at idle per 30 min in the pocket.

It has been a horrible battery life even when the phone is idle. The mobile network has also compounded battery drain like crazy. Some are reporting the mobile network as the root cause of the drain in the battery post installing the stable Android 13 update.

Many are of the opinion that Android 13 has reset the battery stats on some devices, causing a lot of batteries to have their levels misread by the OS. Some have discovered that it’s losing power while connected to a charger. The Pixel phone has been found to get too hot to be kept in your pocket, especially since it gets unbearable when you go out in sun. Few have found that their Pixel Stand isn’t fully charging their phones overnight which it used to do earlier reliably. The stats of battery charge on Pixel stand is dismal with around 58% battery when going to bed and after 8 hours it charged up to %68% battery only.

Some Pixel owners are experiencing random shutdowns after the most recent OS update. It’s happened once the phone battery hits about 45% with the phone shutting off randomly when the battery tanks below 40% or even when the phone is on standby.

However, do note that the Android 13 update has a unique feature when it comes to power consumption by apps. Android 13 will alert you when an app is draining your phone’s battery in the background once in 24 hours. The feature will be helpful typically when a rogue app depletes the battery and it gets spotted only when the battery is near dead.

“If the system detects high battery usage from your app while the app is in foreground, the system will wait”, details Google.

If you are one of those people who are facing the Android 13 update caused battery drain issue, here are a few tried and tested fixes that might work on your phone.

Google Pixel series Battery Drain issue fix after Android 13 update

Also, yes, phones can take a day or so after a major update to settle down. A new OS has a bunch to do initially. And it can help to just use LTE instead of 5G.

If this doesn’t resolve itself after a day or so, you can go through your settings and turn stuff off that might have gotten turned on that take extra battery. Like “lift to wake”, etc. Turning on “data saver” can also help, since using less data in the background can keep apps from running as much. And disable/uninstall apps that you’re not using.

Google has responded to the battery drain issue with the following response on the Community Forum page.

Users are reporting that the battery life was exceptional in the 2nd to the last beta of Android 13 and it appears to be a software issue. Till the time Google releases an official confirmation or a software path, let’s have a look at some alternate workarounds that might fix the excessive battery drain. Although do note that they reportedly might not work in some cases. I would appreciate it if you could tell me in the comments box which one worked for you.

Here are a few steps by which you can speed up the process for Google to release a fix as early as possible:

Go to Settings -> Tips & support -> Send feedback. “Write in detail about the Battery drain issue after the Android 13 update”. Attach video or screenshots to make the devs reach the root cause.

Or

Go to Settings -> Tips & support -> Contact us -> Request a phone call to make the process faster

Disclaimer

Before you apply any of these fixes, don’t forget to take a backup of your important data. As this fix is not official, you need to understand that you are taking a risk, and I will not be responsible if you are unable to fix the phone.

Now that we are through with the disclaimer, let us take a look at the first fix.

Tips to improve Pixel series battery life post Android 13 update

Tip 1: Disable auto update of Apps

By default auto-download of Apps and apps updates is enabled. The feature saps up the battery leading to an unexpected drain. It is advisable to head to the settings and make necessary changes till a permanent solution is rolled out by Google devs.

Disable auto-sync data that is enabled by default and which backs up your app data on the cloud. This process consumes battery and system resources. As a result, you will notice that your phone is heating up and not lasting as long as it should.

To disable auto-sync, go to “Settings” and select “Accounts and Sync” from the menu. 

Tip 2: Revisit Background Apps

Apps that behave irregularly can also eat into the battery life of the phone. Regulating these apps can improve battery life. Check Battery Intensive Apps.

Android 13 update has not optimized all the rogue apps constantly working in the background. It is better to revoke permissions for as many apps you can and see if it fixes it and then add them back 1 by 1 until you find which is to blame.

1. Head to Settings and open Device Maintenance
2. Tap Battery > Battery Usage
3. Screen, Android System, and Device would be at the top. Having third-party apps up there points to an increased consumption of battery life.

Tip 3: Remove Infrequently Used Apps

Apps that exist without much use are another source that whittles away battery life. They remain as background apps that start functioning the moment device gets restarted.

The best you can do is either uninstall them or temporarily disable them in the Settings Menu.

Tip 4: Clear Cache

In many cases, phone manufacturers release an update to fix such issues. At the time of writing this article, Google hasn’t released any such update. However, it would be helpful if you check for an update before trying any serious fixes. You might also want to try clearing the cached data for the PlayStore. To do so, long tap on the PlayStore icon, select the App Info option and select the Clear Cache Data option followed by the Clear Data option. 

Reboot your phone, and open the PlayStore. Tap the four horizontal bars on the left top section to access the menu. Go to “My Apps and Games” and ensure that you don’t have any pending updates.

Tip 5: Factory Reset Your Phone

If you still haven’t managed to fix the battery drain issue on your Pixel phone, try the factory reset option on your phone. At times, merely removing the app or profile doesn’t guarantee success. In such scenarios, making a backup of essential files and doing a factory reset becomes a viable option. It might take some time, but there is a high possibility that it turns out to be the best Android 13 battery drain solution.

To perform a factory reset, follow these steps:

• Turn off your phone and restart it by holding the volume down and power button.
• By performing the above step, you will start the phone in recovery mode. Use the instructions mentioned on the screen to wipe the data on your phone.
• The process would take a few minutes, but it will remove all the apps and data from the phone, which aren’t present on it by default.
• Once the process is complete, the phone will reboot, and you will be asked to set it up again. Follow the instructions to set up your phone for use.

Doing a factory reset would solve your battery draining and heating issues most of the time.

Tip 6: Calibrate Battery on Pixel Phone

Another Android 13 battery drain fix that you might want to try is battery re-calibration. To recalibrate the battery, you need to charge your phone to its full capacity. In the next step, use your phone without any further charging until it gets completely discharged and turns off. 

You need to discharge your phone so that it doesn’t boot again. Once you have reached that stage, use the official Mi adaptor and cable to charge your phone. Don’t turn on the phone until it has been charged to its full capacity.

Once the battery gets charged to a hundred percent, it gets calibrated. Turn on your phone now, and you can use it. 

This step might help you solve the Pixel battery drain issue.

Tip 7: Enable Battery Saving mode

If you were one of the few people who think battery-saving modes are redundant on the shiny device, think again.

1. From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
2. Press Settings > Device care > Battery.
3. Click on Power saving mode, you’ll see the following options:
   • High performance
   • Optimized
   • Medium power saving
   • Maximum power saving
4. Choose accordingly, by which I mean choose “Optimized” or “Medium Power Settings”.
5. Or use Adaptive power saving if you can’t figure out what’s best for you.

Tip 8: Disable the Always-On Display

Always-On Display feature lets you check notifications along with other info at a glance. It requires the phone to keep its display as the name suggests, switched on. Turning it off can save a bit more battery juice, making it last a little more in the workday.

1. Go to Settings
2. Tap Lock Screen > Disable the Always-on Display

Tip 9: Turn off 5G

5G does consume a lot of power so going back to 4G(LTE) might be the change you need.

1. Go to Settings >Connection > Mobile Network > Network Mode
2. Click on the 4G (LTE) Auto Connect option

This should help in avoiding the Pixel series battery drain and overheating.

Tip 10: Night/Dark Mode themes

Night mode isn’t just the go-to for Redditors, but it’s also one other hack that helps resolve the battery life problem. According to some users, it can boost up another hour of battery life. Here’s how to access it:

1. Go to Settings
2. Tap Display
3. The 4th option is the Night mode
4. Tap on the toggle to enable it and tap on the text to dive into Night mode scheduling settings

Tip 11: Disable location permission for unwanted apps

Many apps ask you to let them access your location. These apps use GPS to access your location even when not in use. This process of accessing your location is not only a threat to your privacy but also drains the phone battery.

To deny unwanted apps, the ability to access your location, open “Settings,” go to the “Location” option, and tap the “App Permission” option. Here you can see which apps are allowed to access your location. You can deny permission to selected apps or turn off location access for all the apps with a single tap.

It would be better if you deny location access to all your apps. It would improve your battery performance without affecting the apps. The apps would ask you to allow them to access the location when you open them next time.

Tip 12: Uninstall and Reinstall Spotify and Samsung Health

If you have Spotify and/or Samsung Health apps installed, many people are reporting draining battery like hell after the Android 13 update.

Samsung Health app has been reported to cause abnormal battery drain after the Pixel phones connected to Samsung Galaxy Watch have been upgraded to Android 13.

It is advised to uninstall these two and reinstall them.

Tip 13: Update PLay Store and Soft restart

Here’s a tested one from a user

Tip 14: Disable adaptive battery and connectivity

People are reporting about turning the adaptive battery off has fixed the charging slow problem. But then again the person reporting has been using the official 30w Google charging brick so it could be different depending on what you’re using.

Conclusion

These are some tips and tricks that might help you resolve the Android 13 update related battery drain issue on your eligible Pixel devices. However, these fixes are not official and might not work in your case. They might also cause some other issues with your phone. So, try them at your own risk. 

Many of you would be wondering whether you should think of upgrading to the Android 13 update. Well, experience says whenever major software upgrades like Android 11 to Android 12 have happened, there are bound to be annoyances. Android 13 update is much better than Android 12 when it comes to architecture and an all-new animation engine.

That’s pretty much on our end. We hope our guide proved to be useful to you guys. Do leave a comment below about your experience or if you think that we’ve missed out on something. Keep on visiting us for more info like this.