Android 16 Battery Health Menu Not Coming to Older Pixel Phones

Google is set to introduce a Battery Health menu as part of Android 16 for newer Pixel smartphones, leaving older models potentially behind.

The Battery Health menu, a highly anticipated feature, has been spotted in Android code and is now fully available in Android 16 Beta 3.

This menu will provide users with information on how much their phone’s battery has degraded over time and use, a feature that has long been available on Apple’s iPhone range.

According to a Google representative on the Issue Tracker, the Battery Health Indicator feature will only be supported on newer Pixel devices such as the Pixel 8a, Pixel 9, and 9 Pro Fold, excluding older models like the Pixel 8 Pro released in late 2023.

While there is a possibility that the Battery Health menu may be available on older Pixel devices in the future, for now, Google’s focus is on newer models. This decision raises questions about why a new UI feature would be available on an entry-level model like the Pixel 8a but not on the higher-end Pixel 8 Pro.