Google brought some changes to the way battery usage is showed with Android 8.0 Oreo. With this new version of Android, Google shows screen-on-time on per-app basis. However, if we talk about battery life estimates, it’s often displayed inaccurately irrespective of the Android version. Hence, to deal with this, Google has resorted to on-device model to come up with more accurate battery life estimates.
Until now, battery life estimates were calculated based on “simple assumptions”. For example, if you used your phone for an hour and drained 10% battery, then Google would assume you that you would continue using your phone in the same way which would drain 10% battery an hour. Well, as you can see, this isn’t entirely accurate.
Hence, Google has developed an on-device model which would offer more personalized and accurate battery life estimates. Talking about this new approach, a Product Manager at Google says “we built an on-device model that evaluates how you use your phone’s battery over time. Your phone looks at your battery usage on similar days and times, and uses that to predict your battery life in a personalized way“.
To see your personalized battery life estimates, just head over to the Settings > Battery menu and you will be able to see the number of hours your phone will last based on your usage. You can also tap on that big battery icon to see the graphical representation of your usage.
For now, this on-device model is only available for Pixel smartphones (both first and second generation), but, we hope it’s made available for other Android devices as well in the future.
