Pixel 9a Battery Health Assistance: Difference between revisions

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===Pixel 4a Battery Performance Program<ref>{{Cite web |date=6 Jan 2025 |title=Pixel 4a Battery Performance Program |url=https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/15701861 |url-status=deviated |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250107002112/https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/15701861 |archive-date=7 Jan 2025 |access-date=25 Mar 2025 |website=[[Google]]}}</ref>===

Google is known ~~to reduce~~ the charging voltage of Pixel 4a from 4.4V to 3.95V via a software update, ~~this results~~ in a 44% drop in theoretical usable charge<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wojciechowska |first=Kamila |date=5 Feb 2025 |title=There is even more to the Google Pixel 4a's horrific battery update than we thought |url=https://www.androidauthority.com/pixel-4a-battery-update-explained-3522417/ |url-status=live |access-date=4 Apr 2025 |website=AndroidAuthority}}</ref>. Pixel 4a users report much higher real-world runtime loss.

Google is known for reducing the charging voltage of Pixel 4a from 4.4V to 3.95V via a software update, resulting in a 44% drop in theoretical usable charge<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Wojciechowska |first=Kamila |date=5 Feb 2025 |title=There is even more to the Google Pixel 4a's horrific battery update than we thought |url=https://www.androidauthority.com/pixel-4a-battery-update-explained-3522417/ |url-status=live |access-date=4 Apr 2025 |website=AndroidAuthority}}</ref>. Pixel 4a users report much higher real-world runtime loss.

==Potential effects of software update==

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===Battery Performance issues===

Charging the battery at a lower voltage will not fully charge it. A partly charged battery exhibit shorter runtime. Lowering the charging voltage by 0.1V lowers the capacity by about 10%<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 Oct 2021 |title=BU-409: Charging Lithium-ion |url=https://batteryuniversity.com/article/bu-409-charging-lithium-ion |url-status=live |access-date=4 Apr 2025 |website=Battery University}}</ref>.

Charging the battery at a lower voltage will not fully charge it. A partly charged battery exhibit shorter runtime. Lowering the charging voltage by 0.1V lowers the capacity by about 10%<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |date=25 Oct 2021 |title=BU-409: Charging Lithium-ion |url=https://batteryuniversity.com/article/bu-409-charging-lithium-ion |url-status=live |access-date=4 Apr 2025 |website=Battery University}}</ref>.

Charging the battery at a lower current will increase the charging time.

==== Analysis ====

* Charging the battery to a lower capacity leads to a lower runtime<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" />.

* Charging the battery to a lower percentage lowers the battery wear<ref name=":4" />.

These two factors lead to two possible outcomes that need to be differentiated very clearly to prevent misunderstanding, confusion or worse battery usage practices:

* The user charges the battery to a lower percentage frequently, only charging to 100% when needed, the runtime will be better compared to always charging to 100%.

* The manufacturer blocked part of the available capacity ''after'' certain cycles, not only the battery is ''already'' degraded, but also the runtime is cut by the partial charging of the battery.

==Possible technical rationale==

===Prolonging battery life claim===

Charging the battery at a lower percentage slows down battery degradation<ref>Xu, Bolun & Oudalov, Alexandre & Ulbig, Andreas & Andersson, Göran. (2016). Modeling of Lithium-Ion Battery Degradation for Cell Life Assessment. IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid. 99. 1-1. 10.1109/TSG.2016.2578950. </ref>, However, there are some key differences between "Charging Optimization" and the future "Battery Health Assistance":

Charging the battery at a lower percentage slows down battery degradation<ref name=":4">Xu, Bolun & Oudalov, Alexandre & Ulbig, Andreas & Andersson, Göran. (2016). Modeling of Lithium-Ion Battery Degradation for Cell Life Assessment. IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid. 99. 1-1. 10.1109/TSG.2016.2578950. </ref>, However, there are some key differences between "Charging Optimization" and the future "Battery Health Assistance":

'''Charging Optimization''' has two options, Adaptive Charging and Limit to 80%<ref>{{Cite web |title=Get the most life from your Pixel phone battery |url=https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/6090612 |url-status=live |access-date=4 Apr 2025 |website=Pixel Phone Help}}</ref>. Adaptive Charging can prolong the life of the battery by fully charging it just before the user unplugs, reducing the time spend at high charge levels. The user can select Limit to 80% option to help extend the lifespan of the battery with a drawback of a reduced runtime. The smart phone can always resume maximum available capacity should the user deselect the limit and charge it to 100%. Pixel users can '''enable and disable the feature at will'''.

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==Consumer reaction==

Current and former Pixel users condemn this program and compared it with Apple's "batterygate" and the Pixel 4a Battery Performance Program, saying that Battery Health Assistance is "worse"<ref>{{Cite web |title=This is worse than Apple |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/GooglePixel/comments/1jp883q/google_will_gradually_reduce_pixel_9a_battery/ml6m0y7/?context=3 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250405011000/https://old.reddit.com/r/GooglePixel/comments/1jp883q/google_will_gradually_reduce_pixel_9a_battery/ml6m0y7/?context=3 |archive-date=5 Apr 2025 |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=[[Reddit]]}}</ref> and the Pixel 4a incident is a "preview"<ref>{{Cite web |date=2 Apr 2025 |title=Pixel 9a will have battery "optimised" after 200 cycles |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/Pixel4a/comments/1jpk1db/pixel_9a_will_have_battery_optimised_after_200/ |url-status=live |access-date=3 Apr 2025 |website=[[Reddit]]}}</ref>. Users also find the wording of the support article on Google's website vague and lack of self-consistency<ref>{{Cite web |date=1 Apr 2024 |title=So they want to reduce the wear out of the battery by... doing exactly the same? What's logic behind this? |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/GooglePixel/comments/1jp883q/comment/mkzu6lc/ |url-status=live |access-date=2 Apr 2025 |website=[[Reddit]]}}</ref>.

Current and former Pixel users condemn this program and compared it with Apple's "batterygate" and the Pixel 4a Battery Performance Program, saying that Battery Health Assistance is "worse"<ref>{{Cite web |title=This is worse than Apple |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/GooglePixel/comments/1jp883q/google_will_gradually_reduce_pixel_9a_battery/ml6m0y7/?context=3 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250405011000/https://old.reddit.com/r/GooglePixel/comments/1jp883q/google_will_gradually_reduce_pixel_9a_battery/ml6m0y7/?context=3 |archive-date=5 Apr 2025 |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=[[Reddit]]}}</ref> and the Pixel 4a incident is a "preview"<ref>{{Cite web |date=2 Apr 2025 |title=Pixel 9a will have battery "optimised" after 200 cycles |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/Pixel4a/comments/1jpk1db/pixel_9a_will_have_battery_optimised_after_200/ |url-status=live |access-date=3 Apr 2025 |website=[[Reddit]]}}</ref>.

Users also find the wording of the support article on Google's website vague and lack of self-consistency<ref>{{Cite web |date=1 Apr 2024 |title=So they want to reduce the wear out of the battery by... doing exactly the same? What's logic behind this? |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/GooglePixel/comments/1jp883q/comment/mkzu6lc/ |url-status=live |access-date=2 Apr 2025 |website=[[Reddit]]}}</ref>, saying the Google will "cause the thing they are supposedly trying to prevent"<ref>{{Cite web |date=2 Apr 2025 |title=Deliberate weakening after only 200 charging cycles: Google Pixel 9a limits battery voltage according to a planned schedule |url=https://www.notebookchat.com/index.php?topic=225600.msg645716#msg645716 |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=NotebookCHECK - Notebook Forum}}</ref>.

==References==

[[Category:Google Pixel]]

[[Category:Google Pixel Smartphones]]

@@ Line 8: / Line 8: @@
 ===Pixel 4a Battery Performance Program<ref>{{Cite web |date=6 Jan 2025 |title=Pixel 4a Battery Performance Program |url=https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/15701861 |url-status=deviated |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250107002112/https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/15701861 |archive-date=7 Jan 2025 |access-date=25 Mar 2025 |website=[[Google]]}}</ref>===
-Google is known to reduce the charging voltage of Pixel 4a from 4.4V to 3.95V via a software update, this results in a 44% drop in theoretical usable charge<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wojciechowska |first=Kamila |date=5 Feb 2025 |title=There is even more to the Google Pixel 4a's horrific battery update than we thought |url=https://www.androidauthority.com/pixel-4a-battery-update-explained-3522417/ |url-status=live |access-date=4 Apr 2025 |website=AndroidAuthority}}</ref>. Pixel 4a users report much higher real-world runtime loss.
+Google is known for reducing the charging voltage of Pixel 4a from 4.4V to 3.95V via a software update, resulting in a 44% drop in theoretical usable charge<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Wojciechowska |first=Kamila |date=5 Feb 2025 |title=There is even more to the Google Pixel 4a's horrific battery update than we thought |url=https://www.androidauthority.com/pixel-4a-battery-update-explained-3522417/ |url-status=live |access-date=4 Apr 2025 |website=AndroidAuthority}}</ref>. Pixel 4a users report much higher real-world runtime loss.
 ==Potential effects of software update==
@@ Line 14: / Line 14: @@
 ===Battery Performance issues===
-Charging the battery at a lower voltage will not fully charge it. A partly charged battery exhibit shorter runtime. Lowering the charging voltage by 0.1V lowers the capacity by about 10%<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 Oct 2021 |title=BU-409: Charging Lithium-ion |url=https://batteryuniversity.com/article/bu-409-charging-lithium-ion |url-status=live |access-date=4 Apr 2025 |website=Battery University}}</ref>.
+Charging the battery at a lower voltage will not fully charge it. A partly charged battery exhibit shorter runtime. Lowering the charging voltage by 0.1V lowers the capacity by about 10%<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |date=25 Oct 2021 |title=BU-409: Charging Lithium-ion |url=https://batteryuniversity.com/article/bu-409-charging-lithium-ion |url-status=live |access-date=4 Apr 2025 |website=Battery University}}</ref>.
 Charging the battery at a lower current will increase the charging time.
+==== Analysis ====
+* Charging the battery to a lower capacity leads to a lower runtime<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" />.
+* Charging the battery to a lower percentage lowers the battery wear<ref name=":4" />.
+These two factors lead to two possible outcomes that need to be differentiated very clearly to prevent misunderstanding, confusion or worse battery usage practices:
+* The user charges the battery to a lower percentage frequently, only charging to 100% when needed, the runtime will be better compared to always charging to 100%.
+* The manufacturer blocked part of the available capacity ''after'' certain cycles, not only the battery is ''already'' degraded, but also the runtime is cut by the partial charging of the battery.
 ==Possible technical rationale==
 ===Prolonging battery life claim===
-Charging the battery at a lower percentage slows down battery degradation<ref>Xu, Bolun & Oudalov, Alexandre & Ulbig, Andreas & Andersson, Göran. (2016). Modeling of Lithium-Ion Battery Degradation for Cell Life Assessment. IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid. 99. 1-1. 10.1109/TSG.2016.2578950. </ref>, However, there are some key differences between "Charging Optimization" and the future "Battery Health Assistance":
+Charging the battery at a lower percentage slows down battery degradation<ref name=":4">Xu, Bolun & Oudalov, Alexandre & Ulbig, Andreas & Andersson, Göran. (2016). Modeling of Lithium-Ion Battery Degradation for Cell Life Assessment. IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid. 99. 1-1. 10.1109/TSG.2016.2578950. </ref>, However, there are some key differences between "Charging Optimization" and the future "Battery Health Assistance":
 '''Charging Optimization''' has two options, Adaptive Charging and Limit to 80%<ref>{{Cite web |title=Get the most life from your Pixel phone battery |url=https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/6090612 |url-status=live |access-date=4 Apr 2025 |website=Pixel Phone Help}}</ref>. Adaptive Charging can prolong the life of the battery by fully charging it just before the user unplugs, reducing the time spend at high charge levels. The user can select Limit to 80% option to help extend the lifespan of the battery with a drawback of a reduced runtime. The smart phone can always resume maximum available capacity should the user deselect the limit and charge it to 100%. Pixel users can '''enable and disable the feature at will'''.
@@ Line 34: / Line 44: @@
 ==Consumer reaction==
-Current and former Pixel users condemn this program and compared it with Apple's "batterygate" and the Pixel 4a Battery Performance Program, saying that Battery Health Assistance is "worse"<ref>{{Cite web |title=This is worse than Apple |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/GooglePixel/comments/1jp883q/google_will_gradually_reduce_pixel_9a_battery/ml6m0y7/?context=3 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250405011000/https://old.reddit.com/r/GooglePixel/comments/1jp883q/google_will_gradually_reduce_pixel_9a_battery/ml6m0y7/?context=3 |archive-date=5 Apr 2025 |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=[[Reddit]]}}</ref> and the Pixel 4a incident is a "preview"<ref>{{Cite web |date=2 Apr 2025 |title=Pixel 9a will have battery "optimised" after 200 cycles |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/Pixel4a/comments/1jpk1db/pixel_9a_will_have_battery_optimised_after_200/ |url-status=live |access-date=3 Apr 2025 |website=[[Reddit]]}}</ref>. Users also find the wording of the support article on Google's website vague and lack of self-consistency<ref>{{Cite web |date=1 Apr 2024 |title=So they want to reduce the wear out of the battery by... doing exactly the same? What's logic behind this? |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/GooglePixel/comments/1jp883q/comment/mkzu6lc/ |url-status=live |access-date=2 Apr 2025 |website=[[Reddit]]}}</ref>.
+Current and former Pixel users condemn this program and compared it with Apple's "batterygate" and the Pixel 4a Battery Performance Program, saying that Battery Health Assistance is "worse"<ref>{{Cite web |title=This is worse than Apple |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/GooglePixel/comments/1jp883q/google_will_gradually_reduce_pixel_9a_battery/ml6m0y7/?context=3 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250405011000/https://old.reddit.com/r/GooglePixel/comments/1jp883q/google_will_gradually_reduce_pixel_9a_battery/ml6m0y7/?context=3 |archive-date=5 Apr 2025 |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=[[Reddit]]}}</ref> and the Pixel 4a incident is a "preview"<ref>{{Cite web |date=2 Apr 2025 |title=Pixel 9a will have battery "optimised" after 200 cycles |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/Pixel4a/comments/1jpk1db/pixel_9a_will_have_battery_optimised_after_200/ |url-status=live |access-date=3 Apr 2025 |website=[[Reddit]]}}</ref>.
+Users also find the wording of the support article on Google's website vague and lack of self-consistency<ref>{{Cite web |date=1 Apr 2024 |title=So they want to reduce the wear out of the battery by... doing exactly the same? What's logic behind this? |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/GooglePixel/comments/1jp883q/comment/mkzu6lc/ |url-status=live |access-date=2 Apr 2025 |website=[[Reddit]]}}</ref>, saying the Google will "cause the thing they are supposedly trying to prevent"<ref>{{Cite web |date=2 Apr 2025 |title=Deliberate weakening after only 200 charging cycles: Google Pixel 9a limits battery voltage according to a planned schedule |url=https://www.notebookchat.com/index.php?topic=225600.msg645716#msg645716 |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=NotebookCHECK - Notebook Forum}}</ref>.
 ==References==
 {{reflist}}
-[[Category:Google Pixel]]
+[[Category:Google Pixel Smartphones]]