One of the main reasons to buy a Google Pixel phone is for the software updates. As the maker of Android, Google ensures its own Pixel devices are the first to receive the latest versions of the mobile software, often weeks or months before rivals such as Samsung.
Not only that, but since the Pixel 8 in 2023, Google started to promise seven years of software updates for that phone and all Pixels released after it, meaning if you pick up the latest Pixel 9a you’ll still be getting updates in 2032.
Even the Pixel 7 from 2022 is down to get five years of updates, so if you own that phone you’ll be updated until 2027. But according to a new report, owners of the Pixel 8, Pixel 7 and earlier still-supported Pixels won’t be getting every new feature when Android 16 rolls around.
According to Android Authority, Google is introducing a new Battery Health feature for Pixel phones similar to what Apple offers on its iPhone models. This is a percentage figure in the battery section of the settings app that lets you know at what percentage of its original 100 percent capacity the battery is currently at. If it’s lower than about 80 percent, it’s time to look into replacing your battery to keep your phone powered on for longer.
The lower the percentage, the less overall charge the battery can hold. This is the nature of rechargeable batteries, and they lose capacity as they are used over time. This results in poorer battery life and why you have had to charge your old smartphone twice per day, often forcing you to upgrade handsets.
It’s about time this feature came to Pixel phones, but the report suggests most older Pixel phones won’t be getting it. In fact, it’s said that only the Pixel 8a, released in May 2024, and Pixels released later than that phone will get it.
This means that anyone with a Pixel 8 or earlier is out of luck. Given these older phones will be the ones whose batteries are most depleted, it’s a shame users won’t get an insight into battery health.
“The Battery Health Indicator feature is currently supported in Beta 3 on Pixel 8a and Pixel 9 products including 9 Pro Fold,” Google said in the Google Issue Tracker on the matter. “Due to product limitations, this feature will not be available on older in-market Pixel devices.”
When Apple released its Battery Health tool in 2017 it supported 2014’s iPhone 6. If this new report is accurate, Google is only managing to go back one year in Pixel releases to 2024 on a feature launching later in 2025.
Android 16 is expected to be released either to the current crop of Pixel phones later this year or in tandem with the expected Pixel 10 series when it launches. Google released the Pixel 9 series in August last year, earlier than previous years when the new phones came out in October.