Facing battery drainage issue on Pixel? Update Instagram, says Google

Select Pixel smartphone users reported battery drain issues after the May update. Google clarified that the problem stems from a bug in the Instagram app

Google has confirmed that a bug in the Instagram app was causing excessive battery drain on Android smartphones, particularly on Pixel devices. The company said that Instagram has begun rolling out an update to address the issue and has urged users to update their app immediately to avoid further battery performance problems.

According to Google’s support page:

“Starting today, Instagram is rolling out an updated app that should fix a battery drain issue on Android devices. Please make sure you have the latest version of the Instagram app (build 382.0.0.49.84) to resolve this issue.”

 

Google did not specify whether the issue is isolated to particular smartphone brands or linked to specific Android OS versions, but confirmed that its Pixel lineup is affected – reported 9to5Google.

Widespread complaints from Android users

As reported by Moneycontrol, Android users had been flagging abnormal battery consumption associated with the Instagram app for several weeks. Platforms like Reddit have seen a surge in user complaints, with many citing unusually high battery usage by Instagram over short periods of time. 

 

In some cases, users reverted to older versions of the app to mitigate the problem, but that proved ineffective. Overheating was also reported alongside battery drain. Many users switched to Instagram Lite, a lighter version of the app, and noticed a significant improvement in battery life—further suggesting the issue lay with the main Instagram app.

Google’s official advisory

In response to the growing number of reports, Google published an advisory titled “Battery drain on Android devices”, confirming that a recent version of Instagram was responsible for the issue. The advisory acknowledged user concerns and stated that the issue was being actively addressed with the app update.

 

Affected users are advised to check the Play Store and update to Instagram build 382.0.0.49.84 as a fix.