BERLIN: Google has a new charging feature aimed at extending battery life on smartphones by automatically stopping the power supply when the battery has recharged to 80% full.
Until now, smartphones have traditionally charged all the way to 100%, but specialists in the lithium-ion tech that powers smartphones widely agree that charging to around 80% instead gives batteries a longer lifespan.
If you have a recent Pixel device or smartphone with Android 15, you can activate Google's new feature under your battery settings. Mind, it will only work while your phone is turned on.
Meanwhile, Android's new adaptive charging feature, available for Pixel smartphones for a while now, is more for making sure you have a fully charged phone for if you plan to be out and about all day.
This feature analyses your charging habits, and, based on these, tries to fully charge your battery before you need the phone. That means if you plug it in overnight, it may only charge your phone to 100% in the last hour before you disconnect it.
Some other manufacturers may set a charging limit on their smartphones too when they introduce new models with Android 15 or upgrade current models.
Samsung has been offering a battery protection function for many tablets and smartphones for some time, including adaptive charging under the current Samsung Android version One UI 6.1 (Android 14).
Apple has also been working to save and optimize battery power since iOS 14, with the Charge Limit and Optimized Charging functions under Settings/Battery/Battery Status & Charging. This is where you can find the equivalent to Android's adaptive charging. – dpa
