Battery Health Assistance: Difference between revisions

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Battery Health Assistance in an anti-feature by Google, used on Google Pixel Smartphones since Pixel 6a and later. While it can be turned off on models earlier than Pixel 9a, for Pixel 9a and Pixel 10 series, it can't be turned off.

Battery Health Assistance is an anti-feature by Google, used on Google Pixel Smartphones since Pixel 6a and later. While it can be turned off on models earlier than Pixel 9a, for Pixel 9a and Pixel 10 series, it can't be turned off.

Google claims Battery Health Assistance is to "stabilize performance and aging". Critics point out the forced nature and performance degradation over time can be considered planned obsolescence. Users report worse, not better, battery health measured on both Android 16 and third-party software, contrary to Google's claim.

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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.

=== Pixel 9a ===

===Pixel 9a===

The [[Google Pixel|'''Google Pixel''']] 9a is an Android smartphone designed, developed and marketed by [[Google]]. The release date was April 10 in US, Canada and UK.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Brecher |first=Hannes |last2=Fisher |first2=Jacob |date=2 Apr 2025 |title=Google Pixel 9a comes with new feature that weakens the battery after just 200 charging cycles |url=https://www.notebookcheck.net/Google-Pixel-9a-comes-with-new-feature-that-weakens-the-battery-after-just-200-charging-cycles.991310.0.html |url-status=live |access-date=2 Apr 2025 |website=Notebookcheck}}</ref> On March 31, 2025, Google announced its Battery Health Assistance<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=1 Apr 2025 |title=Understand your Pixel battery |url=https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/15738128 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250704165953/https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/15738128 |archive-date=4 Jul 2025 |access-date=4 Apr 2025 |website=[[Google]]}}</ref> to users:<blockquote>For Pixel 9a:

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-Battery Health Assistance in an anti-feature by Google, used on Google Pixel Smartphones since Pixel 6a and later. While it can be turned off on models earlier than Pixel 9a, for Pixel 9a and Pixel 10 series, it can't be turned off.
+Battery Health Assistance is an anti-feature by Google, used on Google Pixel Smartphones since Pixel 6a and later. While it can be turned off on models earlier than Pixel 9a, for Pixel 9a and Pixel 10 series, it can't be turned off.
 Google claims Battery Health Assistance is to "stabilize performance and aging". Critics point out the forced nature and performance degradation over time can be considered planned obsolescence. Users report worse, not better, battery health measured on both Android 16 and third-party software, contrary to Google's claim.
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 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.
-=== Pixel 9a ===
+===Pixel 9a===
 The [[Google Pixel|'''Google Pixel''']] 9a is an Android smartphone designed, developed and marketed by [[Google]]. The release date was April 10 in US, Canada and UK.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Brecher |first=Hannes |last2=Fisher |first2=Jacob |date=2 Apr 2025 |title=Google Pixel 9a comes with new feature that weakens the battery after just 200 charging cycles |url=https://www.notebookcheck.net/Google-Pixel-9a-comes-with-new-feature-that-weakens-the-battery-after-just-200-charging-cycles.991310.0.html |url-status=live |access-date=2 Apr 2025 |website=Notebookcheck}}</ref> On March 31, 2025, Google announced its Battery Health Assistance<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=1 Apr 2025 |title=Understand your Pixel battery |url=https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/15738128 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250704165953/https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/15738128 |archive-date=4 Jul 2025 |access-date=4 Apr 2025 |website=[[Google]]}}</ref> to users:<blockquote>For Pixel 9a: