- Google has confirmed that older Pixel devices won't get the upcoming battery health feature.
- The feature will only work on Pixel 8a, and the Pixel 9 series.
- Google says this is due to Product Limitations, which has left Pixel 8 users disappointed.
Android users have been asking for an iOS-like battery health feature for as long as we can remember. It’s a feature that’s been under works from almost two major Android versions and is expected to arrive in Android 16. Knowing your phone’s battery health could make it easier to rule out or fix battery issues by checking the battery health. If you’re rocking an older Pixel waiting for Battery Health feature, we’ve got some bad news.
In a response to a bug report submitted on the Android Issue Tracker, Google has confirmed that Android 16‘s Battery Health feature will only be available from Pixel 8a and above devices. This means the feature isn’t coming to the rest of Google Pixel 8, Pixel 7, and Pixel 6 models.
The Battery Health feature mysteriously vanished for many Pixel users after Android 16 Beta 4. While users considered it a bug, we now know that it was intentional. According to the search giant, the reason the feature isn’t coming to older Pixels is due to “Product limitations”.
The Battery Health Indicator feature is currently supported in Beta 3 on Pixel 8a and Pixel 9 products including 9 Pro Fold. Due to product limitations, this feature will not be available on older in-market Pixel devices.
If you own a Pixel device, you can go to Settings > Battery and tap Battery Health to check if it shows up. While the page shows up on our Pixel 6, it doesn’t show us the exact number, unlike our Pixel 8a, which does.
While this means old Pixel device users will not be able to check their device’s battery health, it’s not the end of the road. Apps like aBatt can still report battery health, albeit once you grant it the required permissions via Shizuku. This is a rootless process and is still an excellent way to find out battery health without any fuss.
Pixel 8 and 8a Are Just 6 Months Apart
It must be a disappointing day to be a Pixel 8 owner to know that one of the most awaited features isn’t coming to your phone. This deserves a broader explanation than “product limitations,” because it raises a question, “Will it be 7 years of equally feature-rich updates across the portfolio, or lower features as the devices get older”?
What are your thoughts on Google choosing not to bring Battery Health metrics to older Pixels? How will this affect Google’s commitments to updates and new features? Let us know in the comments.
