Android 16: Older Pixel models won't get new battery health feature
With Android 16, Google is introducing a function to conveniently display the battery health. However, many Pixel models are left out.
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With Android 16, Google is integrating a new function that is intended to provide information about the battery health of Pixel smartphones. The company now explains that only very recent models will receive the feature.
Smartphones can be used safely for longer and longer thanks to longer update support. Google and Samsung now promise Android updates and patches for seven years for some models. Over time, however, the battery becomes weaker and the runtime shorter.
In order to keep an eye on the battery health of Android smartphones and tablets, Google is introducing the "Battery Health" function with the upcoming update to Android 16, which is intended to provide information about the condition of the installed battery.
Feature fragmentation under Android: battery health only for Pixel 8a and newer
This puts the company on a par with Apple in this area. This is because iPhones have long displayed the battery status in the settings, which makes it easy to check the health of the battery.
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In Android 16, the battery health indicator has been on board since beta 3. However, some testers were irritated by the fact that this feature was not available on all supported Pixel devices. It is only available on more recent models such as the Pixel 8a or Pixel 9.
Now it turns out that this is no coincidence: As Reddit user azmeen0 (via Android Authority) discovered in Google's issue tracker, this is deliberate behavior. According to the entry by a Google developer, the function is only supported on the Pixel 8a and Pixel 9 models, including the 9 Pro Fold.
Google does not give specific reasons, it simply states: "Due to product limitations, this feature will not be available on older Pixel devices on the market". This means that even the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro, which Google has promised seven years of Android updates and which are in a better position than the 8a in terms of their general features, will be denied the function.
For context, the Pixel 8a and Pixel 9 models went on sale in spring and late summer 2024, while the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro versions were launched in October 2023.
Owners of one of the slightly older models who want to keep an eye on the battery health of their smartphones will have to use third-party software such as AccuBattery CPU-Z or Battery Guru.
Apple had already introduced a similar function in 2017 and made it available for all iPhone models compatible with iOS 11 – even for the iPhone 6 from 2014.
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