Google hears the prayers! Monthly update fixes severe Pixel battery drain

Last night we told you to expect the monthly Pixel update to be released today and we were right. You see, these updates are usually pushed out on the first Monday of each month. However, with yesterday being Labor Day, we figured correctly that the update would be released today giving us some brownie points that we could use against a future typo or grammatical mistake.

While Google points out that the rollout starts today, this writer's Pixel 6 Pro has been excluded for the moment. It's no big deal if you haven't received the update yet as Google itself says that the new files will be pushed out in phases depending on the device and the carrier.

This is the first update for Android 13 and it includes a fix for a major issue that has been affecting many Pixel 6 series users. Since the release of Android 13, there have been several complaints about the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro heating up leading to a massive battery drain. Again, we mentioned this issue last night and yours truly has had his Pixel 6 Pro heat up like an oven while the battery drained like a sieve.

For example, just yesterday, this writer witnessed the battery on his smoking hot Pixel 6 Pro drop from 100% charged to under 15% in three hours. Today, things seem to be back to normal even though the phone has not yet received the update. The handset is as cool as a cucumber and after taking the device off the charger at 11 am (no judging; I slave over a hot QWERTY until early the next morning) there is still 43% battery life remaining at 6:30 pm.

So under the heading Battery & Charging, Google notes that the update includes a fix for an "issue occasionally causing increased battery drain from certain launcher background activities." BINGO! That's the ticket. We have a winner. Game Over! This covers the heating up and the battery drain seen on the Pixel 6 series. The update also includes a fix for an issue "preventing wireless charging mode to activate in certain conditions." These fixes were for the Pixel 4, Pixel 4 XL, Pixel 5, Pixel 6, and Pixel 6 Pro.

Under the category of Biometrics, Google continues to try and improve the under-display fingerprint sensor for the Pixel 6a. Despite the previous update, users of the mid-range Pixel continued to complain that unregistered friends, family, and random strangers were able to unlock their phones with the fingerprint scanner.

All supported Pixel models which range from the Pixel 4 series to the Pixel 6a received a fix to exterminate a bug that prevented certain Bluetooth devices from connecting to the aforementioned Pixel devices. And the last fix, under the category of User Interface, is also for all supported Pixels from the Pixel 4 series to the Pixel 6a. This fix exterminated a bug that caused notifications "to appear truncated on the lock screen."

So there you have it, Pixel bros, Google heard your prayers and delivered exactly what the doctor ordered. Hopefully. There is one caveat and while it affects a Pixel 6 model, it is not the 6 or 6 Pro that is seeing its monthly update delayed. Hey, why should owners of the two high-end models have all of the fun of experiencing a delay? This time it will be the mid-range Pixel 6a that will have to wait to receive the update which Google says will arrive for that model later this month.

Meanwhile, if you own a Pixel 4, Pixel 4 XL, Pixel 4a, Pixel 4a (5G), Pixel 5, Pixel 5a, Pixel 6, or Pixel 6 Pro, follow these directions. Go to Settings > System > System update and tap on the appropriate button.

And don't forget, Google today also revealed that it will unveil the Pixel 7 series and the Pixel Watch on Thursday, October 6th, at 10 am EDT (7 am PDT).