The issue has affected many around the world, but Google is rolling out an update
If your phone’s battery has been draining like crazy with no apparent cause for the last few months, it’s possible that Google Messages was the culprit. As reported on Reddit, the app appears to empty the battery for some people who use it to take and send photos, with the app stuck polling the camera in the background. Thankfully, Google has already found the issue and is rolling out a fix.
As reported by The Verge, Google communications manager Scott Westover confirmed to the publication that a fix is currently rolling out to users. If you ran into the issue and identified that Messages is one of the apps that pulls most of your battery, be sure to check the Play Store for updates. If you want to skip the wait, you can also check to see if the latest version of the app over on APK Mirror fixes things for you.
If that still doesn’t bring remedy for any Messages-related battery drain you’re experiencing, there is another workaround you might want to look into. Apparently, it helps to revoke the camera permission for Messages, which you can do by tapping and holding the app icon on your home screen, and then head to the app info screen. From there, you can check for permissions and revoke the one for the camera.
While this bug isn’t specific to Pixel phones, with many other devices also shipping with the Google Messages app pre-installed, it is symptomatic of the wide range of bugs that Google’s flagship phones keep exhibiting. First and foremost, Pixel 6 phones are still waiting to get the Dirty Pipe exploit fixed, and they have been facing delays in updates and problems with connectivity ever since they were released, with Google taking its sweet time to fix issues.
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