Fix battery drain problems on a Pixel phone

To troubleshoot battery and performance problems, you can use our self-help flow. Fix battery or performance issues

If your phone's battery life seems poor or short, a downloaded app could be using too much battery. You can also choose settings to help your battery last. To troubleshoot battery drain, use the steps below.

Important: Some of these steps work only on Android 9 and up. Learn how to check your Android version.

Change settings

If your phone's battery life is too short, try these tips for longer battery life. You can also learn which activities use the most battery.

Check apps

Tip: You can’t force stop or uninstall Google Play services. Google Play services lets your phone use Google services. It’s integrated with Android. Learn about Google Play services.

Step 1: Restrict apps that use the most battery

Restrict apps with high background battery use

1. Open your phone's Settings app.
2. Tap Battery.
3. If you see a card with advice to restrict an app, tap the card  Restrict.

Restrict apps with high overall battery use

1. Open your phone's Settings app.
2. Tap Battery Battery usage.
3. You'll find a list of apps that used your battery in the previous 7 days, or since your Pixel phone's last full charge.
4. To review or change how a listed app uses the battery, tap it.​
   • For all apps, we recommend keeping Battery optimization turned on.
   • For some apps that you are not actively using, you can change their settings to Restricted to prevent them from using the battery in the background.
     Tip: When some apps are set to Restricted, they may not work as usual, or notifications may be delayed.
5. To review the battery usage settings for all your apps:
   • Open your phone's Settings app.
   • Tap Apps  App battery usage.

Step 2: Force problem apps to stop

Important: If you force stop some essential apps or services, your phone won't work correctly. Force stop isn’t available for all apps.

1. Open your phone's Settings app.
2. Tap Apps See all apps.
3. Tap the app.
4. Tap Force stop OK.

Step 3: Uninstall problem apps

1. Touch and hold the app.
2. Tap Remove App  Delete App.
3. To confirm, tap Delete.

Tip: You can see Uninstall, Remove, or both. "Uninstall" removes the app from your phone. "Remove" removes it from your Home screen only.

Check phone

Restart your phone (reboot)

1. Restart your phone.
   • On Pixel 5a and earlier: Press your phone's Power button for about 30 seconds, or until your phone restarts.
   • On Pixel 6 and later: Press and hold the Power and Volume up buttons for a few seconds.
2. Tap Restart .

Check for Android updates

1. Open your phone's Settings app.
2. Near the bottom, tap System  System update. If needed, first tap About phone or About tablet.
3. Your update status will appear. Follow any steps on the screen.

Check for app updates

1. Open the Google Play Store app .
2. At the top right, tap the profile icon.
3. Tap Manage apps & devices.
4. Under "Updates available," choose to update all apps or a specific app.

Try advanced steps

Reset to factory settings

IMPORTANT: A factory data reset will remove all data from your phone. While any data stored in your Google Account will be restored, all apps and their associated data will be uninstalled. Before you perform a factory data reset, we recommend backing up your phone.

• Learn how to back up and restore data.
• Learn how to perform a factory data reset.

Post your question to a Google forum

For possible solutions to other issues with your phone’s reset, you can post questions on our forums to the Pixel community.

Still have issues with battery drain?

If your phone still has issues with battery drain, you can get help. Learn how to contact us.

Related resources

• Get the most life from your battery
• Stretch a low battery’s power
• Use battery saver
• Check battery level