Android 14 Is Quietly Solving Overheating Issues For Some Pixel Phone Owners
Mountain View's recently released Android 14 brought with it some nice features and refinements, such as a customizable lock screen, quicker passkey support, and so on. While the Pixel 8 series has this new OS preinstalled, older Pixel devices, such as the Pixel 4a (5G), Pixel 5 and 5a, Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, and Pixel 7 and 7 Pro have been able to join in the fun as well through OTA upgrade and manual installs.
Something not advertised or fully disclosed in Android 14 marketing and changelogs is that the OS seems to be having a positive effect on Pixel 6 and 7 phones in terms of heat regulation and battery life. Some users of Pixel 6 and 7 phones are starting to report extended battery life and their phones running cooler since installing Android 14.
It is no secret that Google's Pixel 6 and 7 smartphones utilizing the Tensor G1 and G2 respectively have been notorious for heat issues. With the in-house developed CPUs running hot (possibly due to optimization issues), it caused problems like performance throttling, camera shut downs while recording in 4K, disappointing battery life, and general discomfort in the hand.
Android 14 must have done something right because even Pixel 5a, let alone Pixel 6 and 7 users are seeing significant battery and temperature improvements over Android 13. We think that Google made improvements to idle draw by reducing the usage of the big CPU cores on Tensor G1 and G2.
A couple of things to note, however. Not everyone will see the same benefits due to individual phone setups, usage case, and installed apps. Also, those on the Android 14 Beta program may have to switch to Stable to get see any positive results. I've been on Beta and had seen variable results depending on the version, but moving to Stable has made my 7 Pro cooler to the touch under heavy use. That said, the early anecdotal results are encouraging.
