Google Pixel users report ongoing idle battery drain despite recent July patch
- By Kumail Shah -
- Jul 31, 2026
Google claims to have resolved the battery drain issues that have recently annoyed many Pixel users. However, initial user feedback suggests the issue may persist.
Google announced on its public Issue Tracker that it has addressed a bug causing significant battery drain during idle mode on several recent Pixel models.
The fix is already part of the July 2026 update for the Pixel 9 and Pixel 10 series. However, owners of the Pixel 8a and Pixel 9a will have to wait for the September Quarterly Platform Release (QPR) to receive the update.
Google states that the issue is due to “Severe Idle Drain: kepler_spi_irq_handler & gnss_ipc Suspend Aborts.” The July update (build CP2A.260705.006) resolves this problem for Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL, and Pixel 10a.
The announcement comes after months of complaints from Pixel owners. Since reports surfaced in April, recent software updates have significantly decreased battery life. Some users reported their phones losing power so rapidly that their total battery endurance was nearly halved, even when idle.
However, not everyone is pleased with Google’s decision to mark the issue as fixed.
The Issue Tracker thread rapidly populated with user comments, many claiming the July update did not fix their device problems.
Currently, dozens of reports note ongoing excessive battery drain, and some users criticized Google for closing the issue prematurely, before it was fully resolved.
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Another question remains unanswered. While Google’s update confirms fixes for the Pixel 9, Pixel 10, and the upcoming September update for the Pixel 8a and Pixel 9a, it does not address other affected models.
Reports of unusual battery drain have also been received from Pixel 7 and Pixel 8 users. Therefore, it’s uncertain if those models will get a similar software update.
Currently, Google states that the July update addresses the problem on supported devices. In the next few weeks, it will become clear whether the recent patch resolves the issue for most users or if Google will need to release additional updates.