Spotify causes significant battery drain on Pixel 8 Pro

[Jimbobler]

Pixel 8 Pro, Android 14, Spotify Premium build 8.8.76.667, Sweden.

Brand new phone and first day of use, and installed the app earlier today.  Spotify has somehow managed to drain 38% (!) of battery with 4 minutes screen time and 4h 44 mins background activity: https://ibb.co/TrG4jW6. I'm unsure about the length of background activity, too, since I've only been listening to podcasts and some music for two hours tops before completely closing the app. No downloads of playlists or music, either. 

The phone was warm to the touch for several hours after installation. The temperature dropped immediately after disabling Spotify from being able to perform background tasks. 

In the "View by systems" tab in Systems > Battery > Battery usage, it's clear that the CPU has drained a majority of the battery (33% vs 13% for screen) since it was fully charged, even though I haven't been doing any CPU intensive tasks for any length of time. 

Super weird, and it's the only time this has happened on any of the smartphones I've had Spotify installed on over the years. 

[Jimbobler]

Hey folks,

Thanks for all your replies and for the info shared.

In this case, in order for us to forward all this important info onto the right team, we'll need to gather some very specific details. That way, they can check in thoroughly what is exactly happening on your side. So, we'll need you to send us:

• The make/model and OS of the affected device
• The exact Spotify version you're running there.
• Some screenshots of this behavior and your device's battery usage analytics.
• If you noticed that this started to happen after some specific event, such as an OS update, please clarify.
• All the troubleshooting steps you've tried so far. Make sure to be as specific as possible.

Be aware that we'll need all this info in order for our tech team to continue investigating further. If you've already sent us some of these details, keep in mind we'll need update info of your devices and Spotify versions you're running as of today.

We understand where you're coming from, so we'll work on this together.

Keep us in the loop!

[camerongb]

Same here on my wifes and my pixel 8 pros aswell - a fix needed ASAP or I'll be cancelling! 

[Eni]

Hey folks, 

Thanks for all the info you've sent so far. 

Would you mind trying to toggle "Spotify Connect in background" off in the app settings to see if that makes the difference? 

Keep us posted on how it goes. 

[LSam]

Hi Eni, I have already had it toggled off for some weeks. Results don't change: enormous battery drain for background activity and horrible behaviour when on app battery usage set on "restricted" (i.e. it just stops playing whenever you change the app or lock the phone).

[cydoemos]

Similar issues as everyone else--I wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't just purchased a new Pixel 8 Pro & was still seeing an unusual amount of battery drain on the device, brand new device, up-to-date Android 14, fresh install of Spotify, etc. Attaching screenshots for posterity--I listened to music for about three hours this morning (estimated), from 7:30am-10:30ish. I can't pinpoint when I started noticing this exactly (my old phone was a heavily used Pixel 5, and the battery has been going for awhile now), but if I were to estimate it feels about right to say that this severe battery drain started for me when I updated to Android 14. 

I'll try toggling Spotify Connect in background & update tomorrow after a full charge and a couple hours of listening & come back to update. 

Also, I've never noticed an improvement when using battery saver.

The Spotify version I'm currently running is 8.9.10.616.

I would be happy to provide tech support any other device/listening details/specs if it would help. 

[cydoemos]

Yeah, I don't think turning off Spotify Connect in the background makes a difference. Spotify still uses the lion's share of battery (more than two and a half hours of youtube screentime!) and continues to persist on running in the background regardless of whether music is being played or not. I listened to music a lot today (abt 4.5hrs), but not close to 12.

[periodicchair]

Same here - got a new Pixel 8 Pro and was wondering why the battery didn't last. 30% usage with minimum screen on time. I'm switching to another service if this isn't fixed - this kind of drain is an unnecessary drain on the battery. Please fix and I'll come back.

[Cammo2066]

Same here 

5 mins screen time, 2hrs background and 16% usage

[ES321]

same here please fix asap

[isbjoorn]

Same issue on my brand new pixel 8 (regular), reinstalling did not help. I feel like I am using a three year old phone again, I have to consider switching music streaming services if this can't be fixed soon.

[LSam]

I'm paying since October for this orrible product, I've directly contacted the support but they cannot offer any help. Next month, after 7 years as customer, I'm switching for good to youtube music since is clear now to me that they are scamming us. I'll use soundiiz to export my playlist and say goodbye to this amateurs for good.

[Swoosh84]

It's really annoying that Spotify is running so poorly on a flagship phone...

[strangecamel]

Got the same problem over here. I used Spotify for 40 minutes today, yet it's background activity is 3 hours and it's drained more battery than any other app today.

[and1]

I'm having the same problem with pixel 8 pro, is there any solution?

[LSam]

Since they have been silent since October 2023 I think the only solution is to change music app for good. I've also directly contacted the support and there is nothing they want to do about it...

[G2money187]

Pixel 8 pro

Having the exact same problem. Can we get a moderator to keep us in the loop? It is a major problem and a daily annoyance.

[Novy]

Hi everyone, 

Thanks for all your patience while we looked into this. 

The relevant teams are aware of this issue. However, we can't commit to a specific timeline for it to be fixed. 

We'd recommend keeping your app up to date so that you don't miss out on any fix. 

If anything else comes up, the Community will be here.

[oguzhanselcuk]

Been having the same issue on my pixel 8 since getting the phone a couple of weeks ago. Due to this, I'm canceling my subscription for the first time in over 7 years.

The android app has always been the low point of the Spotify experience but a known issue destroying many paying customers' batteries and the team being "unable to commit to a specific timeline" for it to be fixed is the last straw.

[Apexde]

Exactly the same for me. The battery usage on the Pixel Pro 8 is just horrible! 

I love Spotify and I am using it every day since 2016. But I really don't want to quickly ruin my new phone's battery that quickly by cutting my time until I have to charge again in half because of the excessive drain caused by Spotify 😞 

Thank you for the status update tho, let's hope that the engineering team releases a fix soon.

[PetoKacenak]

Pixel 8 fresh user here.

I am wondering how the situation will look like in hot summer, because right now I can use my phone as a hand warmer when using Spotify. Hopefully Spotify won't cook my phone. Can not listen to anything I am paying for on a long ride, because the battery simply won't last. 

Please fix this issue

[Jiorg]

Yet another pixel 8 user here that experiences massive battery drain due to spotify. I had to completely uninstall it otherwise my battery died twice as much faster. I wonder if it’s gonna be solved or I have to turn into another platform.