Google says Pixel battery woes on May update were due to Instagram bug [U]

If your Pixel’s battery doesn’t seem to last as long following the May 2025 update from Google, you’re not alone.

Update 5/28: Speaking to NewGeekGuide, Google says that battery issues being reported by Pixel owners with the May 2025 are due to an ongoing bug with the Instagram app and have nothing to do with the May update itself. The latest Instagram update fixes this issue.

• Google says to update Instagram to fix Android battery drain issue

Looking back on user reports, a number of people have mentioned that Instagram (and some other Meta apps) in particular was eating up battery life, so it certainly does seem like this was the case.

The May 2025 update for Google Pixel devices started rolling out earlier this month as a pretty run-of-the-mill patch. No big changes, just a few fixes and tweaks.

However, the update seems to be causing issues for a lot of users when it comes to battery life. Reports started amassing regarding battery life almost immediately, and they’re continuing to flood in via Google’s support forums as well as a popular Google Pixel subreddit. Users are reporting increased battery drain as well as overheating issues with their devices.

As always with battery issues following an update, much of this can boil down to perception. However, with the quantity of user reports circulating, it’s hard to write this one off. The issue appears to be affecting all Pixel devices, from 2021’s Pixel 6 up to the latest Pixel 9 generation.

Have you been seeing battery issues on the May 2025 update for Pixel? Let us know your experience in the comments below.

More on Google Pixel:

• Google on what Pixel phones will get Battery health with Android 16
• Google pokes fun at Apple copying Pixel features ahead of iPhone 17 redesign [Video]
• Gboard on Pixel now lets you ‘Browse’ Emoji Kitchen 

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