With all the amazing features packed into the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL, users have reported facing issues with these phones. The major criticism is the battery life. Compared to the Pixel 3, the Pixel 4s have bigger screens and higher refresh rate. It is a little confusing why Google decided to equip the phones with a small 2,800 mAh battery. The phones can hardly make it through a full day on a single charge, which is frankly annoying.
Hopefully, Google can do something about the abysmal battery performance of their new flagships. Before that, you need to find ways to get the best from your device battery. There are few things you can do to save battery on your Google Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL. We will briefly discuss the most effective methods of achieving that:
Tips to Fix Battery Drain Issue on Google Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL
1. Disable the Always-On Display
You may have to sacrifice a bunch of useful features to save battery life on your Pixel 4 smartphone. The ‘Always on’ display is one of the first ones some people will be ready to give up for improved battery life. Turning this option off means you will not be able to always see the clock, date, weather, notification, and battery/charge info on the screen. It will boost battery life, however, and this is the goal. To disable AOD, follow the steps below:
- Open Setting
- Go to Display > Advanced
- Scroll down to Ambient Display
- Tap the toggle besides Always on to switch it off.
2. Turn on Adaptive Battery
Adaptive battery is an interesting feature that learns how you use your apps over time and limit battery for some select apps. It will list the apps that has been restricted from running frequently. Whenever you need such apps to run frequently, you are at liberty to whitelist them from the adaptive battery settings. Adaptive battery is on by default and you need to ensure that it is always on. Here is how you do that:
- Go to Settings
- Tap on Battery > Adaptive Battery
- If it is ‘On’ leave it that way; if it is off, tap the toggle besides it to switch it ‘On’.
3. Turn Off Smooth Display
Smooth display is one the hallmark features of the Google Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL. This feature makes the screen display to run at a maximum 90 Hz refresh rate. This feature will let you enjoy improved UI interaction and content consumption at the expense of your battery. Since the Pixel 4s are known for their poor battery life, this is another exciting feature you may have to sacrifice to extend your phone battery life. To disable Smooth display, follow the steps below:
- Go to Settings
- Scroll down to Display and click on it
- Select the Advanced button to expand the menu
- Tap on Smooth Display option
- Tap the toggle to turn off ‘Smooth Display’
4. Turn Off Motion Sense
Motion sense is a smart feature that lets you perform a number of tasks by using hand gestures. While this feature will let you do a lot of cool stuffs like waking up your device and controlling music and alarm without touching the phone, it consumes battery. This is majorly because it is constantly scanning and looking for motion in front of your phone. Turning it off can help to save your battery. To do that, follow the steps below:
- Go to Settings
- Select System > Motion Sense
- Tap the toggle besides Motion Sense to turn it off completely.
5. Use Android 10’s Dark Theme
Using a dark theme, according to Google, will improve battery life. The Android 10, which is the original software of your Pixel 4 or Pixel 4 XL has a dedicated dark theme. When you use this theme, most Google apps and a good number of third party apps will replace the typical white background with darker colors, minimizing battery consumption. To do this, follow the steps below:
- Go to Settings
- Click on Display
- Tap the toggle besides Dark Theme to enable Android 10 Dark theme.
6. Use Battery Saver Mode
This is an obvious point that we just need to stress. Every android device has battery saver mode and you can always activate the feature in your Pixel 4 or Pixel 4XL when you deem it necessary. Once you turn on this feature, your device will make a number of battery-saving changes. A lot of features will be turned off once you enter battery saving mode but it can make a huge difference in battery usage. To turn on battery saver mode, follow the steps below:
- Go to Settings
- Tap on Battery > Battery saver > Turn on now
- You can tap ‘Set a schedule’ to program battery saver to turn on automatically based on your routine or battery level.
While Google Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL have some of the latest and best smartphone features, users are seriously complaining about the battery life. Till Google comes up with a feasible solution, the methods discussed above are the best ways to save battery life on the phones.