Google confirms Android 16's useful new battery health tools will skip older Pixel phones

• Google's Android 16 beta includes new battery health tools
• It has seemingly confimed they'll be exclusive to Pixel 8 and newer devices
• We might learn more at Google I/O on May 20, 2025

One of the most useful features coming to devices with Android 16 will be new battery health tools found in your Pixel phone’s settings app – and we now know which devices will get them when they launch for everyone.

Android 16 will likely get detailed at Google I/O, but before then some software betas are cluing us into some of its features.

This includes new battery health capabilities.

The main tool is a stat at the top of the battery health page, which represents your phone’s current max battery capacity as a percentage of what a new standard battery’s capacity would be. For example, if it reads 93% that’s Google saying that your phone’s 100% charge is equivalent to a new battery (that is otherwise identical) being 93% charged.

It also highlights if your phone’s battery health is normal or not – all batteries degrade over time, but you’ll know if it’s degrading faster than it should be – as well as links to articles which could improve your battery health.

Better battery, better life

It doesn’t necessarily add new protective measures – like the Google Pixel 9a’s Battery Health assistance – but it should nevertheless be a handy tool for contextualising why battery health measures are useful, and offer you useful tips if you are struggling to look after your phone’s battery.

So it’s a shame to discover that, according to Google in an Android 16 beta bug report (via, the feature which is currently “supported in Beta 3 on Pixel 8a and Pixel 9 products including 9 Pro Fold” won’t be coming to older Pixel devices due to “product limitations.”

Google’s phrasing strongly suggests only Pixel 8 phones and newer will get the latest battery health tools – it does leave open the door for it to come to older devices when Android 16 launches in full, though we aren’t holding our breath.

Battery health is one of the least flashy but most useful tools software updates can provide.

Whether you replace your phone every two years or every five, knowing your device will be as reliable as possible for as long as possible is something we all appreciate. Afterall, no one likes those moments of terror as your phone’s battery ticks down at the worst possible time.

Alongside battery changes Android 16 will include a major visual refresh, a new and improved desktop mode, and USB hack protections.

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