Here’s the crux of the article in video form:
New updates are being added at the bottom of this story…….
Original story (published on October 29, 2021) follows:
The stable version of Android 12 arrived with the Google Pixel 6 phones. Since then, it has also been available for other Pixel phones. However, some models are having problems after updating.
Some Google Pixel phones experiencing battery drain after Android 12 update
Some Pixel phones users are reporting their discomfort regarding the battery life of their devices (1, 2, 3, 4). They point out that, after Android 12 update, battery life worsened significantly compared to Android 11.
The reported issue seems to be present in very recent models. For example, many of the affected users have a Google Pixel 4a 5G or a Google Pixel 5, both released last year. So, the problem is not limited to older models.
The problem was present in Android 12 betas
In Android 12 public betas, an alleged excessive battery consumption was already reported (1, 2). Now that the stable version is available, some Pixel phone still have the problem.
There’s a Workaround
It seems that there is a workaround that allegedly helps to solve the problem, according to a report. However, not all affected users may be willing to apply the process, as it requires a factory reset and clean installation.
It is not known if Google is aware
Currently, it is not known if Google is aware of the problem. Among the reports, some product experts recommended that affected users send their feedback. However, they do not confirm that the problem has been escalated.
So for the moment, affected users can only wait for an official pronouncement from Google on the matter. They can also try the workaround described above.
When there is more news about the alleged battery drain problem in some Google Pixel phones after updating to Android 12, we will update this article with the relevant information.
You can also check the bug/issues tracker dedicated to Android 12 on Pixel phones.
Update 1 (November 01)
04:43 pm (IST): Google support on Twitter is also asking users to boot into safe mode to see if the problem persists. Further, the team is also asking users to reach out to the chat support team for more help.
Update 2 (November 02)
06:25 pm (IST): A Google employee on the official issue tracker has confirmed that they’ll investigate a user’s report regarding the battery issues after the Android 12 update.
Update 3 (November 03)
10:30 am (IST): While Google works on a fix for the battery draining issues on Android 12, we’d suggest heading to the Battery settings > Battery Manager, and then enabling the option to ‘Manage apps automatically,’ if it isn’t enabled by default.
With this enabled, the apps that you don’t use often will stop guzzling down your battery juice in the background. However, it also means that notifications might get interrupted in some situations.
Update 4 (November 04)
04:00 pm (IST): Google revealed its plans for Android 12L which is expected to go into beta testing next month. A fix for the battery issues should hopefully make its way to the early builds, although, we’d take it with a grain of salt.
Update 5 (November 05)
03:28 pm (IST): It seems that third-party apps might have no contribution to the issue with battery drain on Android 12. Some users confirm that the battery drains even in safe mode or when no third-party apps are installed.
Update 6 (November 06)
05:20 pm (IST): An individual took to Reddit to highlight what could possibly be a big culprit for the increased battery drain on Android 12, which is Mobile Data being always-on even while on Wi-Fi.
This setting can be turned off via the Developer Options. Simply search for ‘Mobile data always active’ via the settings and disable the option. This should help reduce battery drain, especially if you’re mostly connected to Wi-Fi.
Update 7 (November 08)
04:31 pm (IST): It now seems that some users have got stuck in a way worse situation since they claim (1, 2, 3, 4) that the battery has stopped charging at all after updating to Android 12.
One user claims they were able to solve the problem with the following steps:
Update 8 (November 23)
12:03 pm (IST): A user reports that reconfiguring the third-party launcher that was installed (Nova Launcher) helped solve the problem.
That is, first, removed Nova Launcher and returned to the Pixel Launcher. Then, reinstalled Nova Launcher and configured it from scratch (without import settings).
Update 9 (December 07)
12:03 pm (IST): The December 2021 update is rolling out to Pixel devices and a few improvements are also coming to the battery experience as outlined in the changelog snippet below.
– Additional improvements for battery charging information shown in notification shade. – General improvements for battery & thermal performance in certain conditions. – General improvements for wireless charging in certain conditions *[5]. – Improvements for alignment detection on Pixel Stand in certain conditions. – Fix for issues occasionally causing incorrect Battery usage accounting to display in Settings. Source
Update 10 (March 08)
10:05 am (IST): Google released March 2022 update for Pixel phones along with Android 12L. This update include various improvements for the battery. And it should also fix the battery draining issue on Pixel phones.
– Fix for issue causing inadvertent “Unplug Charger” notification to appear while charging in certain conditions.
– General improvements for battery & thermal performance in certain conditions.
– General improvements for wireless charging in certain conditions. (Source)
Update 11 (March 22)
09:51 am (IST): The latest March 2022 update is now available for Pixel 6 devices and it brings general improvements for battery. Hopefully, it may also resolve the battery drain issue.
Update 12 (June 07)
10:39 am (IST): Google released June 2022 update for Pixel devices that brings some general improvements for power consumption on Pixel devices.
Update 13 (June 22)
05:45 pm (IST): In case you are still facing battery drain issues on your Pixel device running on Android 12, then check out this potential fix recommended by an individual on the Google support forums.
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