Preserving battery health is incredibly important, especially if you plan on keeping your current device for a long time. Larger devices, like smartphones, can be easily replaced. But what about smaller devices like smartwatches, which can’t be repaired easily—if at all?
Well, Google may be bringing adaptive charging to the Pixel Watch line-up, which could be invaluable in preventing battery degradation over time. This feature is already readily available on Pixel phones and the Pixel tablet, and a deep dive by Android Authority suggests that the Pixel Watch could be next in line.
Code hidden in the Pixel Watch Management Service app mentions specific permission related to an “Adaptive Charging Service.” While it doesn’t mention any specifics of what this feature might involve, it’s not difficult to figure out what it’s referring to, especially since Adaptive Charging is so prevalent on other Android phones and devices.
Frankly, I’m quite glad to hear that this is a possibility for Pixel Watch. I don’t tend to leave my Pixel Watch 3 charging for long periods, typically putting it back on as soon as it’s back at 100%. But any additional features that can help preserve the battery life can only be a good thing.
Smartwatch battery life is rarely impressive, and considering the small size of the battery, any serious degradation could make it even worse. To top it all off, a lot of wearable devices aren’t designed to be repaired. So, if something serious goes wrong, then repairing or replacing problematic parts is tricky, to say the very least. It's not impossible if you know what you’re doing, but you’d be far better off not having to swap out the battery in the first place.
My guess is that the Pixel Watch's adaptive charging features will work the same way as the one on Android phones. Your phone will slow down the rate of charging overnight, timing everything to ensure that it hits 100% just before your morning alarm goes off. Since leaving your phone at 100% for extended periods can speed up battery degradation, it should help preserve battery health for longer.
It’s not clear when we might see this feature launch, but I’d guess that it could be in a future Pixel drop. Those arrive quarterly, and phones are due to get the next wave of features sometime in March. Pixel Watches have had some problems with software delays, but back in November, Google did confirm that the next major update is scheduled for March as well. Hopefully, that’s not delayed either.
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