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Google Play Services is draining your battery...again!

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Not for the first time, Google Play Services is facing accusations of causing battery drain on Android smartphones. Reports are suggesting that a bug in version 18.3.82 is romping through standby battery, regardless of what smartphone you have.

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Google Play Services is the heartbeat of any Android smartphone. It has become increasingly vital on mobile devices, with former system APIs such as push notifications and GPS functionality being transferred to Services. Users are now reporting problems regarding battery drain with the latest version of Play Services installed. It appears to be affecting all different smartphone brands and models.

As you can see in the image above, Google Play Services is by far the greediest application in terms of draining the battery. Our colleagues at Android Police called for users to post screenshots in a thread on Twitter, and owners of a range of smartphones responded with reports of the same issue.

How to check if Play Services is draining your battery

To find out if you are affected by the issue, simply follow the instructions below:

  1. Go to Settings on your Android device
  2. Tap on Battery
  3. Tap on the Three Dots icon in the top right corner
  4. Select Battery Usage
  5. Check to see which apps are draining your battery most

This is not the first time Google has suffered problems with Play Services causing excessive battery drain. There are a couple of temporary solutions, such as downgrading to an older version of the software, although this can be a pain as the auto-updates will eventually undo your work. My advice? wait for Google to release a fix, and carry a power bank with you!

Have you experienced this issue? Let us know in the comments below.

Source: Android Police

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David McCourt

David McCourt
Editor

David enjoys staying abreast of the latest technology and newest Android apps. Outside of the office, he can be found playing snooker and writing bad 00s indie songs.

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5 comments
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  • 3
    Empress Trudy Aug 15, 2019 Link to comment

    My Pixel 3 does not do this - is there any commonality to these claims?


  • Kuzmanow 6
    Kuzmanow Aug 14, 2019 Link to comment

    I confirm the writing - until recently I was with versions 18.4.52 and 18.4.53. Standby battery consumption increased by 25/30%. I am now running version 19.0.56 and still have more power 😡. We will wait patiently 😀.

    marco sarli


  • Rajeevan A. 12
    Rajeevan A. Aug 14, 2019 Link to comment

    I think there is also a third solution... Just clear its cache !

    marco sarli


  • CJ Brown 29
    CJ Brown Aug 14, 2019 Link to comment

    It's happening, but not as bad as before .... yet this isn't something Google should ignore (this should be fixed with a patch immediately!)

    marco sarli


  • marco sarli 39
    marco sarli
    • Admin
    Aug 14, 2019 Link to comment

    So that is what probably was going on ! I will check

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