Why Your Google Pixel Won’t Get This Highly-Anticipated Android 16 Feature: Find Out Now!

Android 16 is set to introduce battery health monitoring features. However, not all Pixel devices will benefit from this update.

The Android 16 update will incorporate a native battery health menu into the system. This feature will be particularly useful for Google’s Pixel devices, although other manufacturers already offer such a feature in their custom overlays. While the latest Pixel smartphones will enjoy this new function, older models, even those that are relatively recent, will not.

“The battery health indicator is currently available in beta 3 (of Android 16) on the Pixel 8a and Pixel 9, including the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. Due to limitations, this feature will not be available on older Pixel devices that have been marketed,” Google explained on IssueTracker, its bug and issue reporting tool. The status of this issue has even been officially updated to “Unable to resolve”, leaving little hope for future compatibility with older Pixels.

Lack of Battery Health Monitoring on Pixel 8, 8 Pro, and Earlier Models

All Pixel mobiles released before the Pixel 8a will not have access to this battery health status menu, including the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, which are still relatively recent models. The mention of “limitations” might seem odd. It appears not to be a matter of hardware limitations, as the Pixel 8a is eligible while the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro are not. It would have been helpful if Google had provided more details on the exact reasons for this restricted support.

With the new battery health status menu, users will be able to check the number of complete charge cycles their mobile has undergone and what percentage of the maximum battery capacity remains compared to the original capacity (in other words, the degree of battery degradation). It will also be possible to set a charging limit and adjust smart charging settings to preserve battery health.