How to Fix Bad Google Pixel 2 Battery Life

Reboot Your Pixel 2

Our first recommendation is probably the easiest and best tip to fix Pixel 2 battery life problems. There are many things that can cause your battery to drain faster than expected. Sometimes the easiest way to fix things or stop a problem is by rebooting the phone.

Read: What’s New in Android 10

Whether you want to give your phone a fresh start for the day or notice the battery draining too fast, give it a quick reboot. Long-press the power button and select reboot, or manually reboot your Pixel 2. Try that first, then continue on for more information.

Find Apps Eating Up Your Battery

The next step to solving any battery situation is finding out if an app is causing problems. You’ll want to find these before it’s too late and before your battery is dead. We’re looking for misbehaving apps.

It doesn’t matter if these apps come pre-installed or it’s something you downloaded from the Google Play Store. Sometimes apps just don’t work right. With Android Pie your Pixel 2 will send you a notification if an app is using an abnormal amount of battery, so watch out for those alerts.

If you use an app a lot, it’s going to drain your battery. At the same time, some situations occur where an app uses more than it should, and that’s what we want to avoid. Head to Settings > Battery > and tap the battery icon. This shows you a full breakdown of apps and their battery consumption.

You should see Android System, Screen (Display), or Pixel Launcher near the top of the Battery Usage menu. If something else is at the top, an app, that’s might be your problem. Click the app and select “Force Stop” or uninstall the app to prevent further problems. If this is something you use often that’s ok, if not, you know what’s draining your battery.

Disable the Always-On Display

You can also try turning off the Always-On Display to save some battery. When you turn off the screen you’ll see a clock, the date, notifications and battery/charge meters on the screen at all times. This is the always-on display, giving you helpful information at a glance. It’s also using your juice.

Open the settings menu and go to Display > Advanced > and scroll down to Ambient Display. Click here, then swipe to turn off the Always-On Display.  Now the screen turns off completely and may give you a little more time between charges.

And yes, we know Android 10 caused some problems for sensors like the always-on display, Ambient display, and others, so stick tight as Google will fix those soon.

Screen Brightness & Sleep Time

Another big one is screen brightness and the sleep timer. Most users check their phone over 140 times a day, usually just to see the time or check a notification. The Always-On display tries to stop that, so you might not want to turn it off. Instead, adjust the screen brightness and something called the Sleep Timer.

Make sure you hit the power/sleep button when you’re done using the phone, so the screen isn’t just turned on for no reason when you’re not using it. Most people just set the phone down when they’re done, and the screen stays on for a few minutes wasting battery. Do that 100+ times a day and that’s 100 wasted minutes of battery.

Alternatively, you can adjust how long it stays on when it’s not in use. This is the Sleep Timer and something that makes a big difference in battery life.

Head to Settings > Display > Sleep > and set this to one minute, or less. That way when the phone isn’t in use, it dims and will go to sleep after just 30 seconds. So next time you set your phone down when you’re done using it, the screen isn’t just on for no reason.

Use a Black Wallpaper

This isn’t for everyone, but using a Black wallpaper will improve battery life too. This is because of LG’s new OLED display technology in the Google Pixel 2 XL. OLED screens are very efficient and display black colors easily. Pixels don’t need to turn on individually — or as high — to display a black image. As a result, a black image saves battery life. The smaller Pixel 2 has a OLED screen too, so they both benefit.

After you’ve downloaded a nice wallpaper long-press a blank area of the screen and go into Wallpapers to apply it. You’ll also notice the notification bar and other aspects of the operating system change to a dark or light theme based on your wallpaper. Try it, and see things change.

Or, just use the new Dark Mode in Android 10 and all apps that support it.

WiFi, 4G LTE, Bluetooth & GPS

Again, every little bit helps when we use our phones for 8-10 hours a day, or more. So, turn off WiFi or Bluetooth when they aren’t in use. Of course, using WiFi improves battery life, but when you aren’t connected the Pixel constantly searches for a network, which hurts battery life.

For me, the biggest change I notice is when I disable what uses GPS. Whether that’s Google Maps or Facebook Messenger trying to find your location. Disabling what uses GPS can add a few hours to your battery life.

Head into settings and tap the magnifying glass. Type “Location” then enter location settings and change the mode to battery saver mode. GPS isn’t as accurate, but you’ll notice an increase in battery life. The Pixel still uses WiFi and your cell service for location information.

Turn Off Pixel 2 Features You Don’t Need

A lot of what makes the Pixel 2 great has to do with features always running and ready to help you. The Google Assistant, voice-detection for “Ok, Google” commands, or the new Now Playing music recognition on the lockscreen. These are great, but they consume battery.

If you don’t listen to a lot of music, or don’t need to talk to your phone daily for help from Google Assistant, tone down these features.

Battery Saver Mode

Another option is the battery saver mode. And while Google doesn’t offer a lot of customization, it still works great. Head to Settings > Battery > and turn on Battery Saver mode when you’re low on power. This limits most of the advanced features to extend the life of your device.

You can customize when it turns on, and Google has other options like turning off the Ambient Display or using adaptive brightness to consume less power.

We also recommend download Snapdragon BatteryGuru. This app learns your habits as you use the device, and starts turning things like WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth and other modes on or off before you need it. Essentially handling things like WiFi and screen brightness for you to make the Pixel 2 last longer.