One of the strengths of the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL is battery life, as both perform well compared to other smartphones in the same size and performance class. And because they are official Google devices, the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL both receive frequent and timely updates. Unfortunately, Google’s latest update appears to be working against its flagship handsets, with several users reporting issues of overheating and shortened battery life.
For affected users, the issues came into play after applying Google’s February security update earlier this month. Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL owners have been posted complaints of overheating and reduced battery life on Google’s community forum and Reddit, though both threads are fairly short at the moment. It’s not clear how many users are affected, only that several people are complaining about the same symptoms.
Interestingly, not everyone who reports that their phone is running hot is also seeing a reduction in battery life.
“I recently updated my Pixel 2 to the latest security patch. I’ve checked it’s not a recently downloaded app, I’ve uninstalled all the apps I downloaded before it started getting hot just to check. It gets fairly warm almost instantly after starting to use it, within about a minute or so of anything really. Anyone got any advice? Battery life seems unaffected,” one user wrote.
In other cases, both symptoms are present. In reply to above comment, another user said he is seeing the same thing, except that battery life is “noticeably worse” as well. It’s possible that users who aren’t reporting a reduction in battery life simply aren’t noticing it, as it makes sense to us that if a component is working hard enough to crank up the temps, that battery life would suffer too.
To make matters even more confusing, some users report a big difference in battery life, but no change in temps. So, the symptoms are all over the place. The only common thread that binds them all together is that the unwanted behavior began happening after February’s security update.
This is all relatively new, so there is no statement from Google at the moment. As the issue gains traction, however, we expect the company will address it before long.