Google’s Battery Health Assistance rolled out for the Pixel 9a earlier this year, and for those who do not know, the feature reduces the smartphone’s charging speed and voltage to prop up the cell’s health, or at least that is what is claimed. As you would have guessed, the company has extended this so-called battery-saving feature to the Pixel 10 series, where the same behavior described above will happen after 200 charge cycles, and here is the kicker; there is no way to turn it off.
The battery charge limit has likely been placed to prevent any life-threatening scenarios from materializing, as there have been instances where the Pixel 6a has caught fire
It is no secret that all batteries, irrespective of whether they are found in smartphones or other applications, will eventually degrade after a certain number of charge cycles. However, the degradation starts independently, rather than companies introducing a forced software change, which is exactly what Google has done. Speaking with Android Authority, the company provided the following statement, mentioning that it will reduce the battery’s voltage after the Pixel 10 has reached 200 charge cycles, with that number gradually dropping until 1,000 cycles have been reached.
“This software will adjust the battery’s maximum voltage in stages that start at 200 charge cycles and continue gradually until 1000 charge cycles to help stabilize battery performance and aging. You may notice small decreases in your battery’s runtime as your battery ages. Battery health assistance will also tune the phone’s charging speed based on adjusted capacity. You may notice a slight change in battery charging performance.”
Google has not mentioned why its Battery Assistance Feature is forcing the Pixel 10’s battery to start forcefully degrading much faster, but it pretty much means that if you begin daily driving the device from today, it will take you less than a year for the cell’s total charge to be reduced, assuming that the smartphone gets topped up once a day. If you are used to draining the handset’s battery more than twice a day, that degradation could happen at a faster rate.
For comparison, Samsung’s flagship smartphones allow for around 2,000 charge cycles before the batteries reach 80 percent of their original capacity, so why cannot Google attempt the same target? The Mountain View behemoth’s decision might stem from the recent Pixel 6a incidents, where this particular model was catching fire, damaging the owner’s property, and essentially putting the user’s life at risk. Google’s Battery Health Assistance might be intentionally tweaked at 200 charge cycles to prevent such incidents, which could tarnish the Pixel’s brand image.
Then again, Google can adhere to a stringent battery testing regime to ensure that the batteries found inside future Pixel devices will not only hold their charge for significantly longer but also minimize the owner’s risk of explosion or fire. Until Google makes such a decision, its Battery Health Assistance will continue to degrade those batteries faster, and sadly, there is nothing you can do about it.
About the author: Omar Sohail is a reporter and analyst for Wccftech's mobile section, specializing in the technology and business of the mobile industry. His expertise lies in the intricate hardware supply chain, covering developments in semiconductor manufacturing, chip lithography, and camera sensor technology.
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