Google won’t bring Android 16’s Battery Health page to older Pixels

What you need to know

• Android 16 is about to bring a robust Battery Health page to Pixel phones with key performance data.
• The page will show estimated battery capacity as a real-time percentage compared to a new battery.
• Notably, Google is confirming that only the Pixel 8a and newer will receive the useful features.

Google is adding a Battery Health statistics page to the Settings app for Pixel phones with Android 16, but most models won’t be supported. The company says that the feature will be available “on Pixel 8a and Pixel 9 products including 9 Pro Fold” in a reply to an Issue Tracker ticket concerning Battery Health availability. That leaves out all Pixel models released before the Google Pixel 8a, including the rest of the Pixel 8 series and the original Pixel Fold.

“The Battery Health Indicator feature is currently supported in Beta 3 on Pixel 8a and Pixel 9 products including 9 Pro Fold,” a Google employee wrote on May 1. “Due to product limitations, this feature will not be available on older in-market Pixel devices.”

Newer Google Pixel devices already showed cycle count data as of last year, but the Battery Health page is set to bring more detailed analytics. Specifically, battery capacity will be shown as a percentage compared to its new state. This should give users an easy-to-understand idea of how their battery will perform on a daily basis, even years after their phone purchase.

“This [battery capacity] is an estimated percentage of charge the battery can currently hold compared to a new standard battery,” the Battery Health page in the Android 16 beta explains. “Battery capacity decreases over time.”