Google Pixel owners just got a great free battery upgrade

Your Pixel phone should receive a November security software update that can also improve battery life

Google Pixel 7 Pro in Hazel colour
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)

I've been using the Google Pixel 7 Pro since launch and, frankly, I love it. It's easily one of the best Android phones right now. But when other people ask me about it, they always quip that they hear the battery life isn't great. That's generally not been my experience, but clearly Google knows there's room for improvement. 

So I was excited to awake this morning to a notification on my Google Pixel telling me that a software upgrade awaited. Billed as a security upgrade, it was another aspect of the details that most caught my attention: Google says it also has a "fix for issue causing increased power consumption while certain apps [are] installed". 

So if you've not yet received your update – codename variation on TD1A.221105, make it sound catchy, right!? – I suggest you dig into your Settings and System Updates in order to refresh and make sure that you, too, receive the over-the-air update. 

Because if you have certain apps installed that are causing bad battery experience then this ought to improve your Pixel phone's performance. And it's not just for the Pixel 7 series: Google has an update for Pixel 4a, Pixel 5, Pixel 5a, Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, and Pixel 6a too. Neat.

Over longer periods of use I have found the Tensor G2 chip inside the Pixel 7 Pro to cause more heat when playing particular games, namely Marvel's new Snap competitive card game, compared to when I first received the device, which obviously has a knock-on effect on battery life. So here's hoping that Google's November software update will bring better battery life to me, to you, to all of us Pixel-using folk...

Mike Lowe
Tech Editor

Mike is the Tech Editor and AV Editor at T3.com. He's been writing about consumer technology for 15 and, as a phones expert, has seen hundreds of handsets over the years – swathes of Android devices, a smattering of iPhones, and a batch of Windows Phone products (remember those?). But that's not all, as a tech aficionado his beat for T3 also covers tablets, laptops, gaming, home cinema, TVs, speakers and more – there's barely a stone unturned that he's not had a hand on. Previously the Reviews Editor at Pocket-lint for a 10 years, he's also provided work for publications such as Wired, The Guardian, Metro, and more. In addition to his tech knowledge, Mike is also a flights and travel expert, having travelled the globe extensively. You'll likely find him setting up a new mobile phone, critiquing the next MacBook, all while planning his next getaway... or cycling somewhere.