Google Pixel

Google Pixel devices seem to have added ‘bypass’ charging – here’s what that means

Ben Schoon | Dec 11 2024 - 11:25 am PT

Google’s latest Pixel update allows you to limit battery charging to 80%, and that seems to come with the side effect of being able to use “bypass” charging. Here’s what that means, and why it could be useful.

The new ability for Pixel phones to limit charging to 80% – added with the December 2024 update to Android 15 QPR1 – is designed to help protect the battery, as charging to full capacity has a bigger impact on the health of the battery over time. In a somewhat unexpected turn of events, another battery health-saving move in this update is the apparent addition of “bypass” charging.

This new ability, as spotted by Android Authority, allows supported Pixel phones to stop charging the battery when it hits 80%, but continue to use power from a plug to power the phone. At least, that’s what seems to be happening based on tests.

Using a power monitor, it was found that, after the battery had hit the 80% limit, the phone continued to draw power at a much lower rate that varied as the device was used for different tasks. When the phone was fully idle, it used 0.1W of power, but ramped up to 0.74W when the screen was turned on. When moving between apps, that moved up to 2.6W, and then hit 4.6W and 7.6W while using benchmarking apps. That strongly suggests that the device is simply pulling the power it needs at the time from the plug, rather than going through the battery at all. Turning “Adaptive Charging” back on immediately reverts back to power draws that align with typical battery charging behavior. When power is used in this way, it saves a lot of degradation on the battery.

Where could this be useful?

The obvious benefit here would be in mobile gaming, as the device can get the power it needs without draining the battery, or overcharging it. This could also play a role in lessening heat generated by the device. That’s why many gaming-focused handsets directly support bypass charging modes.

Generally speaking, bypass charging on Pixel devices likely won’t be used purposefully by many people, but it’s certainly a welcome option for those especially conscious of their phone’s battery health. And, as Google pushes for Pixel phones to be used for up to 7 years, this change could benefit battery health even if a user never knows it’s happening.

That said, there are still a lot of questions here, primarily around what Pixel devices actually support this behavior. The 80% limit is supported across multiple generations of Pixel devices, but this bypass behavior has only been confirmed on a Pixel 8 Pro thus far. That does suggest it likely also works on Pixel 8, Pixel 8a, and the Pixel 9 series as well.