We regularly get Pixel phones brought into our service center. Most often, the complaint is the same: the phone is almost brand new, but the battery doesn't last until evening. You look at the settings — and it's immediately clear that it's not the battery itself. The phone just works by default in a way that burns through charge faster than necessary. A few changes — and by the next morning, the difference is noticeable.
The first thing I start with is limiting background app activity. Android lets each app periodically "wake up": check for updates, sync, load something. Over the course of a day, these small activities add up to an hour or hour and a half of battery drain. Go to Settings → Apps, select the one you need → Battery usage and limit background activity. News apps, marketplaces, and various widgets that update every few minutes are particularly guilty of this.
The second step that surprises people is pausing apps you don't use but don't want to delete. On Pixel, this is done by long-pressing the icon → "Pause". The app gets frozen: doesn't run in the background, doesn't drain the battery, but remains installed and launches when needed. I did this myself with a couple of banking apps I use once a month — the difference is noticeable. Key warning: don't pause messengers and email, or you'll miss important messages.
Always-On Display is a beautiful but power-hungry feature. The display is constantly showing something, even when the phone is just lying nearby. If your Pixel lights up with every notification anyway — there's not much point to AOD. Turn it off in Settings → Display → Always-On Display. After this, many people notice an extra hour and a half of battery life per day — and that's without any other changes. 🔋
The fourth point is a bit technical but important — network optimization for battery saving. Pixel can dynamically switch between 5G, LTE, and Wi-Fi depending on what you're doing right now. Just scrolling through a feed or texting — no need to maintain full 5G with its constant network search. Enable it in Settings → Network & internet → SIM → Optimize network usage for battery saving. In Novosibirsk, this is especially relevant: 5G coverage here is uneven, and without this setting, the phone regularly wastes energy.
And lastly — adaptive battery. A feature that learns your habits: which apps you use frequently and which ones once a week. It prioritizes resources for the former and limits background activity for the latter. It doesn't work immediately: it takes about five days for the algorithm to gather data. Settings → Battery → Adaptive preferences → Adaptive battery. Turn it on and forget about it.
Honestly, I was skeptical about software settings myself — seemed like marketing gimmicks without real effect. But I went through all five points on my Pixel 10 Pro, and the next morning the phone showed noticeably more charge with the same usage. Half an hour of tweaking — and the results are visible the very next day. 📱
Important note: if the phone is less than a year old and the battery is degrading rapidly — that's not normal, and no settings will help. In such cases, we see capacity below 85% on eight- to nine-month-old phones. This is a warranty case that needs to be resolved through the manufacturer or an authorized service center.
If you can't figure it out on your own — come in for free diagnostics at iClub.pro, Novosibirsk, ul. Kommunisticheskaya 35. We'll sort it out. ⚡