Pixel May update lands, but doesn't fix the battery drain issue

May's Pixel update has landed, bringing a number of bug fixes and patches. However, the big fix that fans were hoping for has not arrived with this update.

Numerous Pixel phones are still afflicted with the notorious battery draining issue, which has been a problem since the March update landed. Many were hoping the May update would bring a solution, especially after one clever user isolated the problem. However, it seems those with the issue will have to wait longer now.

No fix in sight, but Google is working on it

The problem is simple: Pixel phones with this issue empty their batteries way too fast, much faster than would be previously expected.

It's also horribly widespread, with the issue having been reported from the latest Pixel 10 phones, down to the Pixel 7 at the very least.

One user has seemingly pinpointed the problem, and it seems to stem from a bug forcing the CPU to work overtime. This bug means the Pixel's processor won't go into Deep Doze mode, and it's devouring battery life as a result.

One diligent Reddit post and a bunch of publicity later, and that user's report catapulted the problem into a Severity One, Priority One position on Google's Bug Tracker. That means Google is treating this problem with the urgency it deserves, and if the problem has been correctly diagnosed, then it means all Google needs to do is patch the issue.

The fact it wasn't dealt with in the May patch means one of two things: It could be that the problem is so severe that a simple fix isn't possible, and Google needs more time to fix what's broken.

Hopefully, that isn't the case, and it's simply a second possibility: That the fix is done, but wasn't in time to hit the May update. But as tempting as this is to believe, this problem is so large that Google would be willing to rush it and get it out as fast as possible if it was possible to do so. So, it seems far more likely that the problem is worse than suspected, and Google needs more time to fix it.

It's not good news, and it means those of us with the problem, myself included, will have to wait even longer for a fix to be available. All we can do is keep our fingers crossed that a fix arrives in the June update, or, hope against hope that Google pushes out a patch as soon as it's available.