Pie update - battery life is gone

[Maren Madsen]

I have a Pixel 2 and installed Pie the other day. Since then my phone's battery life has been TERRIBLE. Even with the "battery saver" option. I have optimized battery usage for my apps. Just as an example, I used Google maps for navigation the other day and in 54 minutes my battery life dropped from 100% for 52%! Just regular usage drains it pretty fast, too. Help!

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! I wonder if it's related to the fact that the GPS radio can't be turned off any more: https://www.androidpolice.com/2018/...-now-binary-setting-battery-saving-mode-gone/. I just noticed this myself. Did you previously use navigation with Location set to Battery Saving, or was it always High Accuracy?

 

[storyinthesky]

I've noticed my battery doesn't last nearly as long as it used to. It seemed fine on DP but when the official rollout came my battery hasn't been the same since. Hopefully some optimization updates will come.

 

[ImTurningViolet]

Mine is the same as before the update. I have noticed in the past that updating has done that to me for a day or two then it goes back to normal.

 

[B. Diddy]

I've noticed my battery doesn't last nearly as long as it used to. It seemed fine on DP but when the official rollout came my battery hasn't been the same since. Hopefully some optimization updates will come.

Also remember that Pie is supposed to figure out over time which apps you don't use often and automatically optimize their battery use, so we may find that battery life improves after a few weeks.

 

[Theot]

I highly recommend doing a factory reset in situations like this. I know most people don't like to and it can be a hassle but I do it almost monthly and it's really not a big deal to me. Yes, it will take a couple days to set all your apps back up as you use them but I find I end up trimming down apps and sometimes changing how my phone is setup to making things leaner and more efficient.

Anyway, you might want to consider a factory reset, it tends to cure most issues with major version updates. I'm getting great battery life especially now a couple weeks into Pie.

 

[Golfdriver97]

My battery life has been kind of iffy. I have been considering a reset for a few days now.

 

[jlp0209]

Varies wildly by device, can't explain it in any scientific manner. I've owned 3 Pixel 2 XLs at different points. Original was good, 2nd was atrocious (was getting 5-8% drain per hour just idling despite clean installs), Google said it was normal so I just returned it. 3rd and current device is fantastic. I didn't even do a clean Oreo install and did the OTA Pie update. Knowing how bad QC is with Google there are just dud batteries out there or some other issue that can't be explained that drains battery life on some phones far more than others.

 

[Morty2264]

I too would recommend giving the phone some time to adjust to the new software. My battery life seems a bit better I think - or it's a negligible difference. I'm sure we'll see some kind of difference in the next couple of weeks.

 

[Theot]

Varies wildly by device, can't explain it in any scientific manner. I've owned 3 Pixel 2 XLs at different points. Original was good, 2nd was atrocious (was getting 5-8% drain per hour just idling despite clean installs), Google said it was normal so I just returned it. 3rd and current device is fantastic. I didn't even do a clean Oreo install and did the OTA Pie update. Knowing how bad QC is with Google there are just dud batteries out there or some other issue that can't be explained that drains battery life on some phones far more than others.

Mine is inconsistent too. Some days better than others. Yesterday I had good signal all day and didn't use it a ton and it just sucked it dry. I did get rid of a couple apps this morning and it's been better today. IDK what to think. I've never had great SoT with any phone and this one does suck the battery when not in use but it runs well and generally gets me through so I'm just dealing with it till the Pixel 3.

 

[johnnnnnymtl]

My battery has been stellar (best phone for battery I've ever had) until the pie update. It was fine on beta versions, but on this last official version I find myself having much lower battery life I think I'll factory reset soon...

 

[vzwuser76]

I stated in another thread asking about battery life that mine was the same or better. The next couple days it was sucking battery more than usual, but after that it was back to where it was before, the same or better than when it was on 8.1. And by that I mean losing about 1% per hour overnight, running for around 16-18hrs off the charger with 3-4+hrs SOT. Today I was in low signal area and it took a hit, but that's to be expected. I'm wondering if it has to do with this new "learn your usage habits and adjust your battery settings accordingly" feature they rolled up in Pie.

 

[race4life]

I've been getting the same great battery life on mine as I did before the update. I get any where from 5-6 hrs SOT. Yesterday, when I hit 50% battery, I had 2:45 SOT. I have never had good SOT with other phones but the P2XL has been the best for me, even after the upgrade.

 

[johnnnnnymtl]

I reset to factory last night and I do see an improvement, so I recommend it

 

[Todd Anthony1]

Definitely varies device to device. Installed apps that aren't optimized for Android Pie, etc etc. What's weird s that my standby time is phenomenal now... however I recently uninstalled Facebook and IG (social media fatigue), so that's probably the bulk of my battery efficiency gain. It's 3:30pm right now, I've hardly touched my phone today (woke up at 6:20am for work), and I'm currently at 89%.

 

[Rukbat]

That's what I noticed too - with the smaller battery in the 2. It seems to be stuck on a number for a long time. With the light usage I give it, I'm getting 3 12-hour days, going only between 80% and 40%. We're back to 2004, as far as battery life is concerned (and that's not a complaint). Of course, being indoors and not under studio lights (some companies seem to think that if the lights don't give you a tan, they're not bright enough), I run the screen at 15% and it's plenty bright for these 76 year old eyes. (Can't get it accurate? Google Assistant - "set screen brightness to 15%".) 10% is just a little to low for me to be comfortable. (Oh, pay no attention to the slider behind the door - 15% brightness is about mid-scale. Who thunk that one up?)

 

[TraderGary]

That's what I noticed too - with the smaller battery in the 2. It seems to be stuck on a number for a long time. With the light usage I give it, I'm getting 3 12-hour days, going only between 80% and 40%. We're back to 2004, as far as battery life is concerned (and that's not a complaint). Of course, being indoors and not under studio lights (some companies seem to think that if the lights don't give you a tan, they're not bright enough), I run the screen at 15% and it's plenty bright for these 76 year old eyes. (Can't get it accurate? Google Assistant - "set screen brightness to 15%".) 10% is just a little to low for me to be comfortable. (Oh, pay no attention to the slider behind the door - 15% brightness is about mid-scale. Who thunk that one up?)

I've almost always used voice commands to control screen brightness.
When I say "Set Brightness to 50 per cent" the scale shows half.
When I say "Set Brightness to 25 per cent" the scale shows what looks like 1/4.
When I say "Set Brightness to 75 per cent" the scale shows what looks like 3/4.
When I say "Set Brightness to 15 per cent" the scale shows what looks like 15%.

If I try to use the slider to set brightness, I experience exactly what you're saying, the scale isn't even close. How did that ever get past beta testers?

 

[Wiley_11]

If I try to use the slider to set brightness, I experience exactly what you're saying, the scale isn't even close. How did that ever get past beta testers?

https://forums.androidcentral.com/showthread.php?t=901894&p=6297794&viewfull=1#post6297794

 

[Morty2264]

Definitely varies device to device. Installed apps that aren't optimized for Android Pie, etc etc. What's weird s that my standby time is phenomenal now... however I recently uninstalled Facebook and IG (social media fatigue), so that's probably the bulk of my battery efficiency gain. It's 3:30pm right now, I've hardly touched my phone today (woke up at 6:20am for work), and I'm currently at 89%.

Facebook is definitely known to eat at battery. When I use Facebook for a little while on my Pixel 2, I definitely notice a drop in battery life.

 

[B. Diddy]

I noticed something else today, which I think is new after Pie. When I have wi-fi and mobile data turned on at home (with good cell and wi-fi signal), the battery drains noticeably faster than if I keep wi-fi off. I don't recall that being the case before. For instance, today at 11 PM, my battery is currently at 77% (took it off charger at 7 AM). In past days when I was keeping wi-fi on all the time, it would be in the 50s about now.

I have unlimited data on T-Mobile, so it's no big deal for me, but hopefully this doesn't cause headaches for others.