For iOS users like myself, the battery health feature is one of the essential features to monitor the quality of our batteries. It helps determine how much longer our devices can survive before needing a battery replacement. Excitingly, Android is now probably adopting a battery health feature similar to iOS.
Battery Health in Android
Android is likely to adopt the highly appreciated battery health feature. Google has made the new BatteryManager APIs to provide Android users with information regarding their phone’s battery. This information ranges from initial capacity to charge cycles, manufacturing date to battery health status.
This allows apps to report a variety of battery health statistics which is one of the remarkable improvements in the BatteryManager APIs in Android 14. To mention, Cycle count, charging status, production date, date of first use, charging policy, and overall battery health are now included in these APIs.
Unlocking battery insights
Mishaal Rahman, an Android expert revealed that there is an addition to Google’s new capabilities to the new BatteryManager APIs in Android 14. These include means to access and analyze battery health statistics on their Android 14 devices. However, it’s important to note that the accuracy of the data presented by Batt relies on the capabilities of the charging IC (integrated chip) and HAL (Hardware Abstraction Layer). Also, it may vary between different smartphones and tablets.
I bought a used Pixel 7 Pro recently and thought it was a shame that Google’s battery health feature hasn’t been released. It’d be nice to see how many charge cycles it’s had or the estimated % of its original capacity. Fortunately, Google’s made it possible in Android 14! 🧵 pic.twitter.com/KXGtLwhJtU — Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) June 1, 2023
Implications for Users and Market Dynamics
The addition of the battery health feature in Android 14 is a major improvement step in addressing a long-term desire from Android users. It offers a thorough understanding of battery health that provides users with the necessary knowledge to measure their device’s battery performance precisely. Moreover, it provides valuable insights for those considering the purchase of a used smartphone, as battery health plays an important role in the overall device experience. The introduction of this feature could potentially bring Android closer to iOS in terms of battery management and increase user satisfaction.
Finally, users can take advantage of a full battery health feature, thanks to the new Android 14. They can receive valuable insights into their device’s battery efficiency by using apps like Batt. Such apps provide data on cycle count, manufacturing date, and general battery health. Surprisingly, this new feature fills a noticeable gap in Android’s use. It has the potential to improve user satisfaction by bringing Android smartphones closer to their iOS substitutions.
- Meanwhile, check out our review of the Pixel 7A.