How to fix battery drain and overheating issues on Google Pixel 3

Overheating and battery drain issues usually indicate there’s a hardware problem on a device. If you experience these issues on your Galaxy Pixel 3, check out the solutions that you can do below.

Problem: Google Pixel 3 loses battery fast (battery drain issue) and overheating

I have a Google pixel 3 and for a while now, it’s been shutting down at anywhere from about 15 to around 65%. It loses its charge much faster than it used to, usually lasting maybe an hour or two before it shuts down or I plug it in. Even leaving it alone and not using it, it’s lost about 10% or so within 10 minutes. It also has a tendency to get really hot, really fast. I’m not sure how to fix these issues, or if there is any way to fix them.

Solution: Losing 10% of battery within 10 minutes is not normal so something must be going on with your device. Overheating is another factor that should be considered since having it together with fast battery drain issue is not a good sign. Since there’s no direct way to know what may be causing the problem, you have to patiently do a set of troubleshooting steps to identify the real reason. In many similar cases in the past, having the symptoms you mentioned usually means a hardware issue. To know, follow our troubleshooting steps below.

Forced reboot

Many Google Pixel 3 problems are fixed by doing a simple troubleshooting step: restart. Be sure to refresh the system first and see what happens after that. In your case, you want to simulate the effects of pulling the battery out. Sometimes, temporary bugs may cause a system to become unstable. Some of these bugs may go away when a system is refreshed so one of your troubleshooting steps would be to force reboot the device by pressing and holding the Power button for about 10 to 20 seconds. Once the phone restarts, use the phone as normal and check for the problem.

Install app and Android updates

When dealing with any Android issue, one of the basic things to do is to ensure that you install updates for apps and the operating system. Install system updates

Some bugs are caused by poor coding. One of the perks of using a Google Pixel device is the fact that you can be one of the first to experience the newest features Android has to offer. However, that can also be the reason why your device may be a source of frustration. There’s no perfect Operating System so first versions are usually buggy. If your Pixel 3 XL started to restart on its own after an update, it may be due to an inefficient code. As Google irons out bugs, updates are released to implement them. Be sure that you install the latest available system updates as they come along.

By default, Pixel 3 devices are set to automatically install system updates. However, you can also manually check it yourself to see if there’s a more recent Android version for your device at this time. Here’s how:

Connect your Pixel 3 to wifi.
Open Settings app.
Near the bottom, tap System.
Tap Advanced.
Tap System update. If you don’t see ‘Advanced’, tap About phone.
You’ll see your update status. Follow any steps on the screen.

Calibrate the battery

Sometimes, Android may lose track of the actual battery levels. To recalibrate the operating system so that it gets accurate battery level readings, do the following:

Drain the battery completely. This means using your device until it powers down by its own and the battery level reads 0%.
Charge the phone until it reaches 100%. Be sure to use original charging equipment for your device and let it charge up completely. Do not unplug your device for at least two more hours and also don’t use it while charging.
After the elapsed time, unplug your device.
Restart the device.
Use your phone until it completely runs out of power again.
Repeat steps 1-5.

Perform a master reset

If the problem remains after doing the three suggestions above, the most likely solution that will help is by reverting the software settings to their defaults. Again, this assumes that your Pixel 3 XL was never physically damaged prior to experiencing the problem. If you dropped it or exposed it to water, factory reset may be futile as it won’t fix any physical defect.

To factory reset your Google Pixel 3 XL:

Create a backup of your personal data.
Turn off your Google Pixel 3 XL.
Press and hold the Power+Volume Down buttons until bootloader mode (image of an Android with Start above it) appears, then release.
Select Recovery mode. You can use the Volume buttons to cycle through the available options and the Power button to select. The device will flash the Google start screen momentarily and then restarts in Recovery mode.
If presented with an image of a broken Android with “No Command” printed on the screen, press and hold the Power button. Press the Volume Up button once. Then release the Power button.
From the Android Recovery screen, select Wipe data/factory reset.
Select Yes. Wait for several minutes for the factory data reset process to complete.
Select Reboot system now. Allow several minutes for the factory data reset and reboot processes to complete.
Set the phone up again.

Get professional help

If your Pixel 3 continues to lose battery faster than expected and overheats, the is most probably beyond your ability to do. There may be a hardware malfunction that we don’t know about. Let a Google-certified personnel professional examine the hardware so it can be fixed.