Google is set to roll out new features that could be a game-changer for users concerned about the health of their device’s battery. It is directly inspired by a similar function already present on iOS.
While Android smartphone manufacturers are updating their smartphones for longer and longer, with Google now promising no less than 7 years of updates, users can now keep their smartphones for many years. If this is good news, one of the components of your device could well fail along the way: the battery.
Battery capacity degradation over time is an inevitable reality for smartphone users. This is why Android is preparing to take a step forward to address this concern by introducing a new feature that will provide users with information about the battery status of their device. The foundation for this initiative was laid with Android 14, and the upcoming Android 15 is expected to improve and expand these capabilities.
Google already lets you monitor the health of Pixel batteries
Battery degradation results in a decrease in maximum charge capacity, which impacts a phone’s battery life on a single charge. Currently, it is difficult to accurately assess the remaining battery capacity, and users often rely on third-party apps that don’t always provide accurate information.
With Android 14, the operating system started collecting battery statistics in the background. Google even brought a new “battery information” page to Pixel devices with the December 2023 update, displaying the battery’s manufacturing date and number of cycles.
Also read – Android: how to check that your battery is still in good shape after several years
Android 15 will introduce a new tool to monitor battery health
According to information from Android Authority, Android 15 is preparing to go even further by introducing a page dedicated to “battery health” in the Settings application. Although the exact details of the release are not confirmed, it is expected to bring users more complete information about the battery status.
One of the key measures expected is “health status”, which represents the current full charge capacity of the battery as a percentage of its nominal capacity. For example, if a device’s battery health is 90%, this means that the remaining charge capacity is estimated to be approximately 90% of the battery’s original capacity.
Additionally, it will provide information on battery recalibration, a process that can take a few weeks to collect data for a more accurate estimate of battery capacity.
Android Authority reports that Android 15 also aims to expose more battery information, including the condition of the part and the serial number. The condition of the part will indicate whether the device has the original battery it was manufactured with or whether it has been replaced. The serial number, a unique alphanumeric identifier, will provide additional information about the battery.
The benefit of this new feature is that by knowing the health status and other crucial parameters of the battery, users will be able to take proactive measures, such as replacing the battery if necessary. However, it is not known to what extent your smartphone will alert you if your battery needs to be replaced, like iOS, but we imagine that Google is working on a similar functionality.
While this new information is expected to land on Pixels, the availability of these features on other devices may depend on device compatibility and Manufacturers’ implementation of Android Health’s Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL).
Source: Android Authority