Android 14
Android Phones to Get iOS-Inspired Battery Health Feature
Android users will soon be able to see more clearly how the phone’s battery is doing. This new function can notify users when a battery change is required. This is the step that supports self-repair programs and extended software update cycles. Lithium-ion batteries, which power all cell phones, have a limited capacity to store energy because of their chemical makeup. Therefore, even if the battery on your phone will eventually run out, there are ways to slow down the process and extend the time you can use it comfortably. While Android 14 established the foundation, Android 15 will elevate key features related to battery health.
In response to this exact fear, Apple iPhones do tell you exactly how much your battery has decreased. It now looks as though Android may imitate this iOS feature and implement it for the Pixel and other Android-powered devices. This is due to the fact that only the applications available up to now that might make the same suggestion are third-party ones, and even these are not precise. However, OnePlus is among the OEMs that now provide this feature. Current battery information includes the battery’s life cycle count and manufacturing date, which were included in this month’s Pixel Feature Drop.
Though it doesn’t yet have a battery health meter, Mishaal Rahman (via Android Authority) claims that the Android 14 QPR2 Beta 2 introduces a secret battery health page. This page may provide data such as “estimated percentage of charge the battery can currently hold compared to when it was new.” Android OS gathers several battery-related facts in the background from the moment it boots up, making it the most appropriate source for this kind of estimate, instead of relying on third-party software that starts collecting data only months or years after the device is installed. If the battery could communicate this kind of data with the operating system, then it would be an even more reliable source.
Thankfully, Google has spent the last year focusing precisely on that. While Android 14 laid the foundation for the OS to collect battery health data, Android 15 may actually present such data to consumers. Following the release of the Pixel smartphone feature drop update in December 2023 by Google, these developments. Notably, this update introduced a new battery information page that allows users to determine the battery’s production date and cycle count. Moreover, the research notes that Android 14 retrieves and transmits additional data to apps, such as the date of initial usage, charging condition, and battery life. Therefore, the majority of Android users would be able to view the precise condition of their battery and even compute the percentage of original capacity that their battery now retains if the battery health feature made it to the market with Android.
In December 2023, Google unveiled the Pixel Feature Drop, which included a new “battery information” page located under Settings > About Phone. Below is a screenshot of this page that displays the device’s battery’s manufacturing date and cycle count. Under the hood, this data is retrieved using the new APIs released with Android 14. Android 14 exposes new battery-related APIs to apps; however, the manufacturing date and cycle count aren’t the only information available. More information on the condition of the battery is also available, including the date of use, the charging schedule, the charging status, and the overall state of health. The battery’s current full charge capacity, given as a percentage in relation to its rated capacity, makes the condition of health particularly intriguing.