Pixel 8 phones get a Troubleshooting app. Here's what it can do for you
Google's new flagship phones, the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, have officially hit the streets, and they're coming with a little additional support.
Exclusive to the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro for now, a new Pixel Troubleshooting app is available to help quickly diagnose common problems like battery drain, connectivity, charging issues, and more. After running a self-diagnostic, the app will suggest fixes for potential issues if it can't fix the problem on its own.
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The "Connection" section, for example, will first check to make sure the mobile or Wi-Fi connection is turned on. After that, it suggests things like moving to another location, restarting the connection, or restarting the device entirely to see if that remedies the issue.
Venture into the battery diagnostics, and the app will ask if the issue is quick drain, overheating, or charging, and then test to see what's wrong. If the app sees that a specific app is draining your battery, it will recommend restricting its background access or deleting it entirely. Report that your phone is too warm, and the app will check to make sure settings are optimized, then offer up tips to prevent that from happening in the future.
If there is an issue, users have the option to send diagnostics to Pixel support for analysis.
While this won't solve every problem for Pixel users, it is a good start, and if an issue isn't fixed automatically, the tips save a trip to Google.
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It's too early, of course, to tell if the newest phones will have the same issues -- battery problems have plagued Pixel phones for some time, both overheating and fast drain. Android 14 did appear to unofficially fix some of those problems, which is encouraging.
Right now, the Pixel Troubleshooting app is available only on the new 8 Pro and 8 (some users were able to sideload the APK file to a Pixel 7 and run diagnostics successfully), but it's expected to come to older devices in the future.
To access the app, head to the settings menu on your phone, then "Battery." From there, you'll see "battery diagnostics" at the bottom. Once the app is opened, there's an option to run a scan to identify potential problems.