Instagram blamed for Google Pixel battery woes – but there's a fix

Software updates can be a mixed bag. Usually they are brilliant, delivering bug fixes, small enhancements and in some cases big feature releases, but there are times when they don't always work out as planned.

Earlier this month, we saw the May 2025 update for Google's Pixel devices roll out. It didn't bring anything groundbreaking in terms of new features, instead delivering a couple of fixes and tweaks that you may not even have noticed following the update.

What you may have spotted however, were issues with your Pixel's battery life. As reported by 9to5Google, coinciding with the drop of the May 2025 update, users began posting complaints about their Pixel batteries draining more quickly. They also reported overheating problems through Google support forums and a Google Pixel subreddit.

It was thought to affect all Pixel devices from the Pixel 6 through to the latest Pixel 9 models, but there's a new twist to the story. It's now thought it wasn't the May 2025 update at all – it's actually said be one of your favourite social media platforms to blame.

How to fix your Google Pixel battery issues

Google told 9to5Google that while the battery issues affecting Pixel users were genuine, they were due to an ongoing bug with the Instagram app instead.

It has also advised that if you update to the latest version of Instagram on your device, the battery issues should resolve themselves.

In an attempt to corroborate this, 9to5Google went back through some user reports and concluded that a number had mentioned Instagram and some other Meta apps eating up battery life. It concluded that Google was likely right in suggesting it wasn't the May 2025 update at fault.

Moral of the story? Don't jump to conclusions too quickly – and update your Pixel device to the latest Instagram app.