Suppose you just got your Google Pixel 8 or 8 Pro and are experiencing battery-draining issues. In that case, your device needs more time to understand your usage patterns and optimize itself to give you the best battery life possible. So, give it a week or so, and you should see an improvement in the battery life of your Pixel 8 / 8 Pro.
If it’s been over a week since you first activated your Pixel 8 / 8 Pro, the issue lies elsewhere. This is either a software bug/glitch or an isolated hardware issue. This is most likely a software issue or how you have configured your Pixel 8 / 8 Pro.
Certain settings and configurations can adversely impact your battery life and cause it to drain faster than usual. It would be best to be extra cautious with every third-party app you install and the permissions you grant. Nevertheless, here are some of the most common reasons why your Pixel 8 / 8 Pro battery could be draining too fast:
- Misbehaving Apps: Apps with bugs or other issues may be the culprits behind a phone’s rapid battery drain.
- High Brightness: Keeping the screen’s brightness extremely high can cause excessive power consumption, making the screen one of the most power-hungry parts of the device.
- Constant Connectivity: Having Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, or a Hotspot turned on and actively searching for connections uses much power.
- Background App Refresh: Allowing apps to refresh in the background automatically can significantly decrease battery life by polling for updates incessantly.
- Overuse of GPS: Too much will drastically reduce battery life, as it constantly tracks your location if you leave it on.
- Always-On Display: Using the Always-On Display can significantly drain a device’s battery life.
- Screen Resolution: Using the Full Resolution for your screen will strain your GPU, causing it to use more power.
- Weak Signal Reception: The phone has to work harder to keep a connection in low-signal locations, draining the battery more quickly.
- Overheating: The battery will drain faster because of the increased effort required to keep working.
- Outdated Apps: Using outdated apps can reduce battery life and cause stability and performance concerns.
20 Ways to Fix Google Pixel 8 and 8 Pro Battery Draining Too Fast
Now that you have some insight into why your Pixel 8 / 8 Pro’s battery is draining faster than usual, you should be able to identify the exact issue. Nevertheless, if you are still unsure about the issue, don’t worry.
We have compiled a list of fixes or tips that will help minimize the fast battery drain on your Pixel 8 / 8 Pro. Make sure to follow as many fixes as possible to get the best battery life out of your new Pixel 8 / 8 Pro.
Fix 1: Check Battery Usage
First, you should monitor and analyze the applications using the most battery. You need to indentify these power-hungry apps and try limiting their usage or optimizing their settings. Here’s how you can check your battery usage:
- Open the Settings app on your phone.
- Tap on Battery.
- Tap on Battery usage.
The apps are listed in a decreasing order of the battery usage, with the most battery-hungry apps on the top. If the app is draining battery unusually, consider checking for updates or clear the cache and data of the app. You can also uninstall the app if possible.
Fix 2: Update Software
Keeping your device up to date with the latest software is essential as updates frequently bring about optimizations that enhance battery efficiency. Developers often refine the performance to minimize unnecessary battery consumption. Follow these steps to update your Pixel 8 / 8 Pro.
- Open the Settings app on your phone.
- Tap on System.
- Tap on Software update.
- Tap on Check for update.
- Then, tap on OK if prompted.
- Tap on Download to start the update process.
- If you see a message saying, “Your system is up to date,” no updates are available.
- Restart your Pixel once the update is installed.
Fix 3: Restart Your Phone
Speaking of restarting, a simple restart can prove effective in resolving background processes that might be causing an abnormal drain on the battery. It’s a quick way to refresh your device and fix any potential glitches. Simply follow these steps:
- Press and hold the Power and Volume Up buttons simultaneously for a few seconds.
- Tap on Restart.
Fix 4: Run Battery Diagnostics
Android 14 introduced a new battery diagnostics feature that allows you to run tests to evaluate your battery’s health and performance. These tests help identify any irregularities and guide you in addressing them. Follow the steps below to run a battery diagnosis:
- Open the Settings app on your phone.
- Tap on Battery.
- Scroll down and tap on Battery diagnostics.
- Your phone will now runs tests to check your battery.
Fix 5: Check Battery Health
In addition to the battery diagnostics, Android 14 also brought in the new battery health feature that gives an insight into your battery’s condition.
Details such as charge cycle count, charging policy, and state of health inform you about your battery’s overall well-being and guide maintenance decisions. Follow the steps below to check the battery health:
- Open the Settings app on your phone.
- Tap on About phone.
- Then, tap on Battery information.
- Here, you can find the following information:
- Battery charge cycle count.
- Charging policy.
- Manufacturing date.
- Charging status.
- Date of first use.
- State of health.
You should see the state of health as a percentage. The higher the percentage, the better is your battery’s health. If the battery health percentage is below 90%, then you should contact Google Support for further assistance since it is a new device, and this shouldn’t be the case.
Fix 6: Turn Off the Always-On Display
The Always-On Display feature keeps the screen constantly drawing power to show you information at a glance. The Pixel 8 Pro has an LTPO display, which consumes less power for the Always-On Display.
However, the vanilla Pixel 8 doesn’t have an LTPO panel, so it will consume more battery with the Always-On Display enabled. Turning off the Always-On Display is recommended to conserve some more battery. Follow the steps below:
- Open the Settings app on your phone.
- Tap on Display.
- Then, tap on the Lock screen.
- Turn off the toggle next to Always show time and info.
Fix 7: Lower Screen Brightness
The Pixel 8 and 8 Pro have some of the brightest smartphone displays on the market. The Pixel 8 can go as bright as 2000 nits, while the Pixel 8 Pro can go even higher at 2400 nits. Such high brightness will surely be a hog for your battery.
If you like to have the brightness slider to the maximum, this could be why the battery drains too fast. Consider using adaptive brightness to tailor the brightness to your surroundings for optimal efficiency. Follow the steps below:
- Open the Settings app on your phone.
- Tap On Display.
- Tap on the Brightness level and lower it as much as possible.
- Go back to Display and turn on the toggle next to Adaptive Brightness.
Alternatively, you can lower the brightness from the Quick Settings panel. Swipe down from the top twice and see the brightness slider at the top.
Fix 8: Use High Resolution Instead of Full
The Pixel 8 Pro has two screen resolution options: High and Full resolutions. By opting for the high resolution rather than a full one in the display settings, you’re effectively decreasing the workload on the GPU and saving some battery in the process. This ensures a balance between display quality and battery preservation. Follow the steps below:
- Open the Settings app on your phone.
- Tap On Display.
- Then, tap on Screen resolution.
- Select High resolution.
Fix 9: Optimize Location Settings
Turning off GPS when not needed prevents constant location tracking, which is a significant battery drainer. Activating it only when necessary ensures efficient battery usage. Follow the steps below to turn off location:
- Open the Settings app on your phone.
- Tap On Location.
- Turn off the toggle next to Use location.
Alternatively, you can turn off the location from the Quick Settings panel. Simply swipe down from the top twice and tap on the Location toggle. Make sure it’s gray.
Fix 10: Limit Background App Refresh
Limiting background app refresh ensures that apps aren’t constantly pulling in data, which can drain your battery unnecessarily. This fix helps manage which apps can refresh data in the background, optimizing battery consumption. Follow the steps below to limit background app refresh:
- Open the Settings app on your phone.
- Tap on Apps & notifications.
- Tap on See all apps.
- Tap on the app you want to limit the background refresh for.
- Tap on Mobile data & Wi-Fi.
- Turn off the toggle next to Background Data.
- Do the same for more apps that might be refreshing in the background.
Fix 11: Use Dark Mode
Your Pixel 8 and 8 Pro have OLED screens that can produce deep and real blacks by turning off the pixels. This, black or dark pixels use less power on OLED screens since individual pixels can be turned off. Dark mode decreases the display’s power consumption, which in turn extends the battery life. Follow the steps below to turn on dark mode:
- Open the Settings app on your phone.
- Tap on Display.
- Under Appearance, turn on the toggle next to the Dark theme option.
Fix 12: Manage App Notifications
Constantly waking your Pixel 8 / 8 Pro to check for new notifications is a major drain on battery life. Reducing the frequency with which your device awakes due to app alerts is one way to extend its battery life. Turn off notifications for apps that you don’t need. Follow the steps below:
- Open the Settings app on your phone.
- Tap on Apps & notifications.
- Tap on See all apps.
- Tap on the app you want to turn off the notifications for.
- Tap on Manage notifications.
- Turn off the toggle next to Allow notifications. You can even choose to receive certain types of notifications from the app.
- Do the same for more apps that send unnecessary notifications.
Also, make sure your phone doesn’t wake up each time you receive a notification. Follow the steps below:
- Open the Settings app on your phone.
- Tap on Display.
- Then, tap on Lock screen.
- Turn off the toggle next to Wake screen for notifications.
Fix 13: Disable Unnecessary Connectivity
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, and Hotspot are all features that, if left on and actively searching for connections, can drain a lot of battery. You can save battery life by preventing the device from searching for and maintaining connections whenever it is not in use. Here’s how to turn them off:
- Swipe down from the top twice to reveal the Quick Settings panel.
- Tap on the Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and NFC toggles to turn them off. Make sure the toggles turn gray.
Fix 14: Monitor Battery Draining Apps
Some apps can be faulty or misbehave in ways that lead them to drain the battery too fast. You can increase your device’s battery life by optimizing the battery-hungry apps or removing them if you monitor your battery usage and identify them.
Look for any misbehaving or rogue apps and uninstall or optimize them. Follow the steps below:
- Open the Settings app on your phone.
- Tap on Battery.
- Tap on Battery usage.
- If you see any app that’s consuming a lot of battery, go ahead and restrict its usage.
- You can even remove that app. Simply go to Settings.
- Tap on Apps & notifications.
- Tap on See all apps.
- Tap on the battery-draining app.
- Tap on Battery usage.
- Turn off the toggle next to Allow background activity.
- If you want to remove the app, tap on Uninstall.
- Tap on OK to confirm.
- Do this for all the other apps well.
Fix 15: Use Battery Saver Mode
In order to extend the battery life of your phone, there is a built-in “Battery Saver Mode.” When activated, it limits location services, slows down the CPU, and minimizes background activity to help the battery last longer in those times when you really need it. Here’s how to turn on the battery saver mode:
Note: Your notifications might get delayed if you are using the Battery Saver mode.
- Swipe down from the top twice to reveal the Quick Settings panel.
- Tap on the Battery Saver toggle.
- Tap on Turn On.
Fix 16: Check Signal Strength
Your phone’s battery will drain more quickly if it has to work more to maintain a connection due to a bad signal. Your phone will drain more battery trying to find and hold a signal in an area with poor reception.
In certain cases, turning on Airplane mode and then turning it back off can help with poor cellular reception. You can even turn on the Airplane mode for some time to preserve battery life while you are in the low signal area. Here’s how:
- Swipe down from the top twice to reveal the Quick Settings panel.
- Tap on the Airplane Mode toggle.
- Tap on the toggle once again to turn it off.
Fix 17: Check for Overheating
Power usage can rise if your device overheats since it must work harder to function. You can avoid unnecessary battery drain by looking for warning signals of overheating and fixing the underlying issues right away.
Make sure to keep your device in a cool environment and avoid using it while it’s charging. Using your phone while charging not only causes overheating but also has an impact on the battery’s health.
You should also avoid using your Pixel 8 or 8 Pro in harsh sunlight as this can cause severe battery drain. The Tensor G3 inside the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro already overheats a lot due to Samsung’s poorly optimized 4nm fabrication and this will only worsen things. If possible, remove the case in your Pixel 8 or 8 Pro for better heat dissipation.
Fix 18: Keep Apps Updated
Developers frequently issue updates to their apps in order to address issues with stability, performance, and battery life. Maintaining an up-to-date app collection guarantees you’re using the most optimized software available. Follow the steps below to update your apps:
- Open the Google Play Store.
- Tap on your profile picture at the top right.
- Tap on Manage apps & device.
- Then, tap on See details under Updates.
- Tap on Update All.
- Once all the apps are updated, restart your Pixel.
Fix 19: Factory Reset (Optional)
A factory reset will delete all of your data and restore your device to its default settings. Being a last resort, this action requires extreme caution. By reinstalling the operating system and all of the apps, it can fix any software-related issues that may be draining the battery. Follow the steps below to factory reset your Pixel:
Note: Be sure to take a backup of all your data before proceeding.
- Open the Settings app on your Pixel 8 or 8 Pro.
- Scroll all the way down and tap on System.
- Tap on Reset options.
- Tap on Erase all data (factory reset).
- Next, tap on Erase all data on the bottom right.
- You will be prompted to enter your Pixel’s PIN, pattern, or password.
- Once that is done, tap on Erase all data again to confirm.
- Finally, tap on Restart.
- Set up your device again and try using it for a few days to see if the battery draining issue has been fixed.
If you’ve exhausted these options and are still experiencing battery draining too fast, consider contacting Google Support for further assistance. They can help pinpoint the root cause of the problem and provide you with practical, device-specific solutions. You can even ask for a replacement in case the device has a hardware issue.
Final Words
Battery draining too fast can be extremely stressful, especially when you want to go out for the day without a charger. Some of the new Pixel 8 and 8 Pro are unable to keep up with users’ expectations with the battery life. The devices are apparently giving subpar battery life as they are draining too fast.
While this could be due to user fault, it is often the result of poorly optimized software or third-party apps. Hardware issues can also be blamed for the same. Thankfully, you can follow the solutions mentioned in this article to fix this issue to a certain extent.
However, if the issue persists after several days, you should call in Google Support for further assistance. Which one of these solutions worked for you? Do you have any other tips to fix the battery draining issue on the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro? Share them with us in the comments section below.
