Google’s December Update Introduces Battery Management Features for Pixel Devices
Recently, Google announced the December Pixel Drop, showcasing a suite of innovative features for its users. Among these enhancements is the ability to limit battery charging, a handy option that restricts charge levels to 80% in order to prolong the overall lifespan of the device’s battery. This update also introduces an additional functionality designed for optimized battery use.
Battery Bypass Charging: A New Era for Pixel Devices
The latest Google Pixel 8 and upcoming Pixel 9 series come equipped with a bypass charging capability. This feature allows users to power their devices directly from an external outlet—typically a wall charger or sufficiently powerful portable power bank—without drawing energy from the internal battery. To activate this convenient setting, simply select the option to cap charging at 80%, ensuring that your phone neither charges nor discharges once it reaches this threshold.
How to Navigate Battery Settings
If you’ve successfully updated your Pixel software, you can explore these options by heading over to Settings > Battery. Here, enable “Use charging optimization” and choose “Limit to 80%.” The alternative option available is “Adaptive Charging,” which is well-known among users. Activating this configuration will facilitate both limiting the charge and enabling bypass functionality.
Enabling effective battery management features
Confirming Your Settings Have Taken Effect
You can confirm that everything has been set up correctly by utilizing an application designed for monitoring device performance; it should indicate that your phone is “not charging” while showing the power source as “AC,” signifying it’s receiving power directly rather than using its stored energy.
A Note on Battery Calibration Process
An important aspect of this bypass technique is that every now and then, your device may automatically recharge its internal battery up to 100%, then allow it to deplete back down towards 80%. This calibration process ensures precise monitoring of your battery’s health status over time—a standard procedure across various smartphone models implementing such features.
Lack of Official Charger Requirements from Google
This feature was introduced somewhat discreetly by Google; consequently, they have not issued specific guidelines regarding charger requirements necessary for bypass functionality. Their support documentation remains limited in detail regarding any specifications needed for optimal operation.
Comparative Features in Other Brands
This type of feature isn’t exclusive just to Google’s line; other manufacturers like Samsung have incorporated similar technology under different names—Samsung refers to it as “Pause USB Power.” Notably, Samsung does outline specific requirements: users must utilize a USB Power Delivery charger featuring Programmable Power Supply (PPS) capabilities rated at no less than 25W.
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