Android 14 DP1: Screen time is now prominently shown in battery usage stats

Ben Schoon | Feb 8 2023 - 11:23 am PT

With the first developer preview of Android 14, Google is bringing back the ability to see screen time in battery usage stats.

Google redesigned the battery usage stats screen in Android 12, a change which led to quite a bit of confusion. Instead of showing battery usage since the last full charge, Google showed stats based on the last 24 hours.

The change was walked back in later updates, with the QPR1 update on Pixel phones delivering a change to show statistics from the last full charge instead of the last 24 hours. But even then, it was still somewhat difficult to see your screen time, which many use as a core metric to see how long their phone lasts in active use – there are, of course, many other contributing factors to battery life, but being able to see screen time is helpful nonetheless.

In Android 14’s first developer preview, Google has redesigned the battery usage page with a prominent “screen time since last full charge” section. It does, well, exactly what the name suggests.

While this might not be a big deal for everyone, it’s certainly a change that will be appreciated by enthusiasts.

The new page also now has a dropdown menu to show battery usage by apps or by system elements. This is technically unchanged from previous versions, the dropdown just makes it slightly more obvious on how to switch between the two sections.

We’re still digging into Android 14’s first developer preview to see everything that’s new. Stay tuned for our ongoing coverage!