Pixel 9 and 8a owners will get a handy new battery feature in Android 16

By Patrick Hearn Published May 6, 2025

A person taking the Google Pixel 9a out of a pocket. — Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Google has hinted at a dedicated Battery Health menu since Android 14 QPR2 Beta 2, more than two years ago — and now the feature is finally available for select users on Android 16 Beta 3. That’s great news, but only if you have one of the most recent Pixel models. The feature is only coming to the Pixel 9 series and the Pixel 8a; even the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro (launched in late 2023) are ineligible.

Google confirmed this in an issue tracker thread: “The Battery Health Indicator feature is currently supported in Beta 3 on Pixel 8a and Pixel 9 products including 9 Pro Fold. Due to product limitations, this feature will not be available on older in-market Pixel devices.”

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It appears that only devices launched in 2024 or later will work with this feature, although Google hasn’t stated a clear reason why. Fans speculate the “product limitations” mentioned in the thread could refer to an inability to pull battery cycle counts from older models. The reasoning is still cloudy, especially since the Pixel 8 and the Pixel 8a have essentially the same battery type (lithium-ion), just of slightly different capacities.

Both the Pixel 8 and 8a have the same Tensor G3 chip, too. From a hardware perspective, there’s little difference between the two devices, so Google’s decision to only bring the feature to the Pixel 8a has left some fans incensed. One user on Reddit said the feature had previously worked in an earlier beta: “[Pixel] 6 Pro here. It worked in a beta before then they said it was only meant for 8a.”

For reference, the Apple iPhone has had a Battery Health feature since 2017, and it retroactively applied to devices as far back as 2014 (including the iPhone 6).

This restriction could change in the future; the Battery Health menu is only available to anyone participating in the Android 16 Beta 3, so it hasn’t been released to the public yet. Once Android 16 is widely released (scheduled for Q2 2025), this feature will likely apply to all devices running the OS. Google might announce more at Google I/O 2025.

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Patrick Hearn writes about smart home technology like Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, smart light bulbs, and more. If it's a…

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