A recent security patch is leaving Pixel phone owners -- or at least their devices -- pretty drained. Google is working on a fix, though.

After the May Pixel patch, many owners have reported that their devices' battery life has plummeted and the devices themselves are running hot. Both official Pixel support forums and Pixel subreddits have seen numerous posts over the past several days. The issue seems to be affecting a variety of devices from the Pixel 6 onward.

Also: I changed 8 settings on my Pixel phone to instantly improve the battery life

Some users suggest that the culprit may be the Instagram app and say that removing the app fixed the problem, but other users without Instagram are also seeing the issue. Google confirmed that Instagram was at fault in some of these cases this week when it issued a bulletin that read, "Instagram is rolling out an updated app that should fix a battery drain issue."

I have a Pixel 8 Pro myself (without Instagram installed), and I can attest that my battery life has been significantly worse over the past week. I use my phone a lot during the day, but it usually makes it until bedtime. This past week, it's barely reached 2 p.m.

Other users think there may be a problem with Wi-Fi connectivity. One Reddit post shows how a user's Wi-Fi on their Pixel phone consumed 100% of the battery in just three hours. I've been seeing connectivity issues myself, with my phone turning Wi-Fi off by itself and being unable to connect to (or even see) any available networks when I turn it back on.

A few fixes for the Pixel battery issue

Google has acknowledged the Instagram issue, and a fix is in the works. But for users without Instagram, there is no official remedy yet. A power cycle (holding the power button down for 30 seconds until the phone restarts) temporarily fixes the Wi-Fi problem for me, which helps battery life a bit, but the issue always returns.

Also: I changed 10 settings on my Pixel phone for an instant performance boost

Of course, there's always Battery Saver mode, which improves battery life across the board but lowers the display's refresh rates, limits location sharing, and delays notifications.

If you're thinking about reverting to an earlier, pre-update version of Android, that's not possible. The latest version prevents your device from being rolled back because a previous version of Android was unstable and vulnerable to attacks.

We'll update this piece if Google offers an official explanation or fix.

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