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Stop worrying about finding a power source.
Whether you’re on a trek in the woods or just on the go, Pixel’s battery keeps your phone going strong.

As a massive effort unfolded to find his lost dog, Luna, Chetan Joshi was glad to have a phone with a battery that could keep up with his search.

Hours passed as Joshi and his many friends combed the forest into which the two-year-old husky had escaped. Hiking through dense woods, he called out her name. Joshi fielded constant calls on his Google Pixel, regularly checked his location on Google Maps, and shared it with the other searchers. Joshi worried that the battery on his phone would drain down from heavy use, forcing them to abandon the search for Luna.

But his Pixel’s battery was never in jeopardy. Fortunately, the search wasn’t long – they found Luna after five hours (no doubt a lifetime to a dog owner). But Joshi, a Pixel Superfan, had peace of mind knowing that his phone could handle the heavy use – and if needed, he could turn on Extreme Battery Saver, which closes non-essential applications or puts them to sleep.

“My Pixel phone was a trouper! It kept going strong,” Joshi says. “I finally found Luna and was able to bring her back. I would not have been able to do it without my Pixel phone as my partner.”

Chetan Joshi My Pixel phone was a trouper! It kept going strong. How does the Pixel battery last so long?

Even if you’re not chasing after a lost dog, odds are there will be scores of situations in which you’ll find yourself away from a charger for long periods of time and in need of a charge to communicate, navigate, or work. Google designed Battery Saver and Extreme Battery Saver with those scenarios in mind.

Your fully charged Pixel will work for more than 24 hours under most circumstances,1 as Adaptive Battery uses machine learning to triage apps based on which are more or less important to you. Lesser-used apps that don’t need to be constantly running in the background are pushed out of the device’s memory when you’re finished with them, while the apps that you use more frequently are kept in the memory for faster access.

Had he needed to, Joshi could have been out searching for Luna all day (or up to 72 hours with a Google Pixel 7a and later generations of the device) with Pixel’s Extreme Battery Saver, a mode that takes even stricter measures to help squeeze every last drop out of a charge. It works by turning off power-hungry features like Wi-Fi and background activities like notifications and app refreshes. When in that mode, you can select “essential” apps – Maps, Messages, or others you might need in an emergency – to ensure they keep sending you notifications and don’t go to sleep.

“There’s a million things that are invisible in the background to users,” says Google Product Manager Matt Kulick. “We do a lot of protective things to make sure that the battery life is preserved.”

Learn how you can make your battery charge go further

The Adaptive Battery feature has you covered in most situations. And Extreme Battery Saver helps you when you need to radically extend the life of your device. But there’s more you can do to improve battery health. Check out these tips: 

1. Let the phone close apps you’re not using

You can set Battery Saver mode to turn on automatically, either according to a set schedule based on your usage or when the battery drops below a certain level. Some users may opt for a lower threshold if they know they are always near a charger, but others might opt to set it higher.

“Everyone has a certain level of battery anxiety – for me, because I have kids, I need my phone to be working all the time,” says Kulick. “So my battery level is set really high. I want to go into this Battery Saver mode pretty early on.”

A phone battery that lasts for days

Say goodbye to worrying about a power source with Pixel 8 Pro. 

A phone battery that lasts for days

Say goodbye to worrying about a power source with Pixel 8 Pro. 

2. Keep your phone and apps up to date

There’s more than one reason to have the latest version of apps and software on your phone, and power is one of them. Kulick says that applications become more battery efficient with each new iteration, addressing errors and glitches that use unnecessary power.

3. Turn down the brightness

Save your eyes by turning down the brightness of your phone, while also saving the battery. You can also set your phone to Dark theme, which turns your background to black. It uses less power and relieves some of the strain on your eyes, too.

4. Know which apps and activities are power hungry

Kulick also says Pixel users should be aware of what activities drain their batteries most. Video calls and gaming are at the top of the list. Users should also shut down apps they have opened but aren’t using.

“Keep what you’re doing in the foreground alive and shut as much stuff down in the background as possible,” says Kulick. “We designed the battery so that you have peace of mind and don’t have to worry about finding an outlet.” With a little help from users, it may last much longer.

5. Charge another device with Pixel

Got battery to spare? You can use Pixel to wirelessly charge Qi-certified phones or accessories – and they don’t even have to be part of the Pixel family. Just turn on Battery Share in the Settings app and put the back of Pixel on the other device’s battery area. Charging begins instantly and, just like that, you’ve saved someone’s day.

6. Prolong the battery life of your Pixel

Your Pixel’s battery is strong and long-lasting. But like all batteries, it can degrade over time. If you have a Pixel 8 Pro, that’s where the Adaptive Charging feature comes in. It learns your charging habits, then slows down your phone’s charging speed overnight to prolong your battery life. Just go to your phone’s Settings app, tap Battery, then Adaptive Charging, and turn it on. 

Chetan Joshi is a member of Pixel Superfans, Google’s community for people who love Pixel products. Superfans gain access to private events, exclusive Q&As with product and engineering teams, limited-edition merchandise, and other surprise perks. Interested in joining the community?

Learn more about becoming a Superfan.

Takeaways
Your fully charged Pixel will work for more than 24 hours under most circumstances1Pixel’s Extreme Battery Saver mode takes even stronger measures to help your phone last up to 72 hours1Pixel’s Adaptive Charging feature controls your phone’s charging speed and prolongs your battery life
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  1. Pixel 8 Pro, Pixel 8, Pixel 8a: For “24-hour”: Estimated battery life based on testing using a median Pixel user battery usage profile across a mix of talk, data, standby, and use of other features. Average battery life during testing was approximately 31 hours. Battery testing conducted on a major carrier network. For “Up to 72 hours”: Estimated battery life based on testing using a median Pixel user battery usage profile across a mix of talk, data, standby, and use of limited other features that are default in Extreme Battery Saver mode (which disables various features including 5G connectivity). Battery testing conducted on a major carrier network. For both claims: Battery testing conducted in California in mid 2023 on pre-production hardware and software using default settings, except that, for the “up to 72-hour” claim only, Extreme Battery Saver mode was enabled. Battery life depends upon many factors and usage of certain features will decrease battery life. Actual battery life may be lower.

    Pixel Fold: Estimated battery life based on testing using a median Pixel user battery usage profile across a mix of talk, data, standby, and use of other features. Average battery life during testing was approximately 33 hours. Battery testing conducted on a major carrier network. Battery testing based on mix of inner and outer screen use and conducted in California in early 2023 on pre-production hardware and software using default settings. Battery life depends upon many factors and usage of certain features will decrease battery life. Actual battery life may be lower.

    Pixel 7 Pro, Pixel 7, and Pixel 7a: For “24-hour”: Estimated battery life based on testing using a median Pixel user battery usage profile across a mix of talk, data, standby, and use of other features. Average battery life during testing was approximately 31 hours. Battery testing conducted on a major carrier network. For “Up to 72 hours”: Estimated battery life based on testing using a median Pixel user battery usage profile across a mix of talk, data, standby, and use of limited other features that are default in Extreme Battery Saver mode (which disables various features including 5G connectivity). Battery testing conducted on a major carrier network. For both claims: Battery testing conducted in California in early 2022 on pre-production hardware and software using default settings, except that, for the “up to 72 hour” claim only, Extreme Battery Saver mode was enabled. Battery life depends upon many factors and usage of certain features will decrease battery life. Actual battery life may be lower.

    Pixel 6a: For “24-hour”: Estimated battery life based on testing using a median Pixel user battery usage profile across a mix of talk, data, standby, and use of other features. Average battery life during testing was approximately 29 hours. Battery testing conducted using Sub-6 GHz non-standalone 5G (ENDC) connectivity. For “Up to 72 hours”: Estimated battery life based on testing using a median Pixel user battery usage profile across a mix of talk, data, standby, and use of limited other features that are default in Extreme Battery Saver mode (which disables various features including 5G connectivity). Battery testing conducted on a major carrier network. For both claims: Battery testing conducted in California in early 2022 on pre-production hardware and software using default settings, except that, for the “up to 72 hour” claim only, Extreme Battery Saver mode was enabled. Battery life depends upon many factors and usage of certain features will decrease battery life. Actual battery life may be lower.

    Pixel 6 Pro and Pixel 6: Estimated battery life based on testing using a mix of talk, data, standby, and use of other features. Battery life depends upon many factors and usage of certain features will decrease battery life. Average battery life during testing was approximately 34 hours. Battery testing conducted by a third party in California in mid 2021 on pre-production hardware and software, using default settings. Battery testing conducted using two major carrier networks using Sub-6 GHz non-standalone 5G (ENDC) connectivity. Actual battery life may be lower.