Google Pixel Gets 'Smart Battery' Feature to Make Better Predictions

Google has added a new battery feature for Pixel users that is claimed to make accurate battery life predictions. Announced on Thursday, Google says that the new Smart battery will "make your battery life estimates more accurate on Pixel!"

The company explains that the Android smarpthone earlier used to estimate battery loss with simple assumptions, but the new on-device model evaluates how user's phone battery is drained over time. Michelle, a Product Manager at Google's NYC Office, says "Your phone looks at your battery usage on similar days and times, and uses that to predict your battery life in a personalised way."

Pixel users can see the new battery predictions via Settings > Battery which will now show personalised battery estimates. Michelle adds that it tells you both percent of battery left and how many hours the device will last.

To get estimates of high and low usage by the new Smart battery feature, users can tap on the big battery icon which will then show typical user patterns for battery usage.

Google also talked how the previous battery estimate was based on simple assumptions. "If you've used about 10 percent per hour over the past few hours, we would guess you will keep using 10 percent per hour. As you might expect, this wasn't always very accurate," the company said.

The new feature is targeted at Pixel users for now but we can expect it to trickle down to more Android devices in the future.