What you need to know
- Pixel users report severe idle battery drain after the April 2026 update, even when not actively using their phones.
- The issue appears widespread, affecting multiple models from Pixel 6 to Pixel 10 with hundreds of reports online.
- Google has acknowledged the problem and is working on a fix, which could arrive with a future update soon.
Google Pixel and software bugs aren’t anything new, and it looks like, after the April 2026 update, users are now reporting battery life issues on their devices.
As spotted by 9to5Google, Google’s Issue Tracker and multiple Reddit threads are filled with Pixel users complaining about battery drain. Many say their phones are losing battery even in the idle state, when they’re not actively using them.
The scale of the issue seems fairly widespread. There are now over 600 comments on Google’s Issue Tracker in just over a week, along with several Reddit threads reporting the same problem.
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What’s more concerning is that it doesn’t seem limited to a specific device. Users across multiple generations, from the Pixel 6 series all the way up to the Pixel 10 lineup, are reporting similar battery drain issues after installing the update.
The exact cause of the idle battery drain isn’t confirmed yet, but some users believe it’s linked to the CPU staying active even when the phone isn’t in use. It appears the CPU isn’t entering a deep sleep state when the screen is off, which keeps it running and leads to battery drain.
Some reports also mention that the issue persists even in airplane mode, and in some cases, battery life has been cut nearly in half.
Thankfully, Google has acknowledged the issue and confirmed that it’s working on a fix. There’s no official timeline yet for when the patch will arrive, but it’s likely that the company will address it in an upcoming update, possibly with the May 2026 patch. We’ll keep you updated as and when Google rolls out a fix for this issue.
It’s worth noting that this isn’t the first time Pixel users have run into battery issues after an update. Similar complaints surfaced last May, and there was another instance in October 2025 when a Pixel 10 Pro Fold bug caused noticeable battery drain.
Android Central’s Take
I’ve said this before, Pixel updates feel like a gamble sometimes. You either get cool new features or a bug that ruins daily use. Battery drain is one of the worst ones, and this needs a fix ASAP.
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