It is always a good idea to keep software up to date across your devices, because sometimes, staying on outdated software can have serious consequences. If you are one of many Android device owners who have been experiencing unexplained battery drain in recent days, Google just revealed that Instagram might have been the culprit.
“Starting today, Instagram is rolling out an updated app that should fix a battery drain issue on Android devices,” a Google community manager explained in a support post on Android’s help site on Wednesday. “Please make sure you have the latest version of the Instagram app (build 382.0.0.49.84) to resolve this issue.”
If you have Instagram on any of your Android devices, head to Google Play to ensure you have installed the latest version of the app. You can also check your version number by pressing and holding the app icon and then tapping App info.
Earlier this month, 9to5Google reported that Pixel device owners had been complaining about their batteries suddenly draining more quickly than usual since right after the May 2025 update. At the time, it wasn’t entirely clear what was causing the battery drain issues, but now we know that the Instagram app was to blame for the Pixel battery woes.
As for what was going on with that Instagram app that caused the battery on Android devices to drain faster, we have no idea, and honestly, we might never know.
