Pixels are finally about to get a feature to prolong battery longevity

What you need to know

• Google's new battery health feature aims to extend the lifespan of Pixel phone batteries by adjusting voltage and charging based on usage.
• The feature, uncovered in a Pixel 9 APK teardown, will be found within battery health settings and may initially be optional for Pixel phones but not on Pixel 9a.
• The rollout of the battery health feature is anticipated with the Android 16 release this summer.

Google is likely to introduce the much-awaited battery health feature on Pixel phones. While the company announced the feature with the Pixel 9a with the rollout expected later this year, new findings showcase a sneak peek at what to expect.

APK teardown specialist AssembleDebug (via TheSpAndroid) has managed to activate the feature on Pixel 9 and has shared the screenshots of the same. It is said to be buried under the Battery health settings right beneath the Charging optimization preference on the Pixel phone. It likely be an optional feature as it can be either enabled or disabled. However, when it rolls out to the Pixel 9a, it likely won't be optional.

As the name indicates, enabling the feature helps manage long-term battery health and performance. The feature description further explains, "as your battery ages, you may notice slight changes in charging performance and battery capacity. Batteries are consumable components that age over time and last fewer hours between charges. Replacement is recommended for aged batteries."

Primarily, the new software feature will be adjusting the battery's maximum voltage in stages that start at 200 charge cycles and eventually to 1000 charge cycles to help stabilize "battery performance and aging."

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As the battery ages, the feature will tune the phone charging speed per the adjusted battery capacity. The feature's settings, however, aren't customizable by the user, notes the search giant in an accompanying support page. To put it short, the assistance feature ensures your Pixel phone runs as smoothly as possible with the battery before the time comes to replace it.

According to AssembleDebug, the feature is still not rolling out officially but might soon come to some Pixel phones through Android 16 this summer. The recent Settings Services app on the tested Pixel 9 seems to have added the necessary parameters for the battery health assistant feature, which only indicates the rollout is sooner than later.

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