A warm Pixel 8, 8 Pro or 8a is expected when it plays video or games, restores or transfers data, records HD video, acts as a hotspot or does any of that while charging, per Google. When too hot the phone limits itself: it can turn off the camera flash, partly or fully turn off mobile data or Wi-Fi including 5G, show a warning, enter low power mode and shut down. The Pixel 8 Pro's back has a temperature sensor for objects such as drinks, which is not the phone's own temperature; the phone's own reading is under Battery, Check your device temperature.
Differential
Likely causes of “Google Pixel 8 family gets hot or shows a temperature warning”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
Media, games or a restore
What separates it It heats during games, video, a restore from backup or a big transfer
How to confirm Google lists these as normal causes; let the task finish and see whether it cools
- 2
Charging while doing something demanding
What separates it The phone is hottest when charging and in use
How to confirm Google lists doing any of the warm-making tasks while charging as a cause; leave it alone while it charges
- 3
Direct sun or a warm place
What separates it It heats up quickly outdoors in the sun or inside a parked car and shows a cooling notice
How to confirm Google says to keep it out of direct sunlight; if it turns off, let it cool and restart
- 4
The Tensor G3 in sustained use
What separates it It gets hot in long gaming or camera sessions
How to confirm All three phones use the Tensor G3 per Wikipedia; compare with Settings, Battery, Check your device temperature (Pixel 6 and later) and close the busiest app
- 5
A hotspot or weak signal keeping radios busy
What separates it It heats while tethering or in a poor coverage area
How to confirm Google lists tethering and hotspot use as causes and says poor coverage makes a phone burn more power
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- Which of the three models you have and the Android build under Settings, About phone
- What the phone was doing when it got hot and whether a warning appeared
- The result of Settings, Battery, Check your device temperature
- The room or outdoor temperature, the case and charger in use and whether it heats while idle
Try in this order
0 of 7 completedCheck the temperature
ReversibleOpen Settings, Battery, Check your device temperature; Google gives advice based on the current temperature and settings on the Pixel 6 and later.
Stop the task
ReversibleClose the game, video or transfer, unplug the charger, remove the case and move out of the sun. Google says a warm phone is not a worry unless it starts limiting functions.
Let a shutdown finish
ReversibleIf the phone warns, enters low power mode or turns off, let it cool down and then restart it.
Charge and use it separately
ReversibleLeave the phone alone on a hard surface while it charges, since Google lists use during charging as a cause of warmth.
Move big jobs to Wi-Fi and the charger
ReversibleRestore or transfer data on Wi-Fi with the phone idle, and avoid hotspot use in a warm place.
Update and restart
ReversibleInstall the latest Android and app updates and restart, since a stuck app can keep the phone warm.
Contact Google if it keeps shutting down
ReversibleIf the phone keeps turning off after cooling, contact Google and start a repair request.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- Chip
- Wikipedia lists the Google Tensor G3 on all three, with the Samsung Exynos 5300 series modem; the Pixel 8 and 8a have 8 GB of RAM and the 8 Pro 12 GB.
- Size and weight
- Wikipedia lists the Pixel 8 at 187 g, the 8 Pro at 213 g and the 8a at 188 g; the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro are IP68 rated and the 8a is IP67.
- Part numbers
- Google identifies a Pixel by the model number and IMEI under Settings, About phone, not a part number; the charger's model is printed on the adapter.
- Repair cost
- If heat comes from a fault, iFixit's table of Asurion's Google-authorized prices lists a battery at $139.99, $179.99 or $139.99 and a screen at $239.99, $319.99 or $219.99 for the Pixel 8, 8 Pro and 8a.
- Other models this page answers
- These steps also fit the Pixel 8, Pixel 8a.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !If the screen lifts from the frame or the phone smells scorched, stop using it and start a repair the same day
- !If the phone heats within minutes of doing nothing after a restart and an update, start a repair request
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
Causes of warmth, protective limits and how to keep the phone cool.
Cooling steps while charging.
Pixel 8 and 8 Pro battery, charging, chip, storage, Wi-Fi, display and glass.
Pixel 8a battery, charging, storage, Wi-Fi, display and IP rating.
Exact questions
Common questions
Is it normal for a Pixel 8 to get warm?+
Yes in the situations Google lists: video, games, restoring backups, HD recording, hotspot use, big transfers and charging while doing any of these.
What is the temperature sensor on the Pixel 8 Pro?+
Wikipedia says the Pixel 8 Pro has a sensor for reading the temperature of objects; it does not measure the phone's own temperature.
Where is the phone's own temperature check?+
Settings, Battery, Check your device temperature, available on Pixel 6 and later.
Does wireless charging heat the phone?+
Google lists charging while doing demanding tasks as a cause of warmth, and wireless charging slows when the phone is hot.