What you need to know
- Google casually confirms the existence of the Pixel 8a, signaling the return of the previously removed battery statistics feature.
- According to a Google software engineer, this feature will be exclusive to the Pixel 8a and its successors.
- The battery statistics feature was introduced in the QPR1 update of Android 14 and then disappeared in the March 2024 Pixel update.
- It turns out that Google intentionally removed this feature, with software engineers saying it was not meant for existing devices.
Google has confirmed the existence of the Pixel 8a by hinting about a recently removed feature making a comeback with it.
This confirmation was made after a Google software engineer responded to a user bug report. In a thread about battery stats, a software engineer let it be known that the feature is making a return for the Pixel 8a, hinting that a Google Pixel 7a successor is in the pipeline (via 9to5Google ).
The software engineer also revealed that the feature is exclusive to the Pixel 8a and subsequent models.
The Android bug tracker chat was started when Google revealed some new battery statistics with the QPR1 update of Android 14, which is located in. about phone section within Adjustment Menu. This allowed users to calculate charging cycles and check when their battery was built up.
The March 2024 update for Pixel phones moved quickly and the feature vanished into thin air. Naturally, people were curious to know why it disappeared. The big question was why Google introduced a feature and why it became silent when it suddenly disappeared. Google avoided giving any explanation for this.
On the bug tracker page, the software engineer said that the disappearance was intentional as this page should not have popped up on current devices in the first place.
According to the thread, the feature is set to return with the Pixel 8a. And perhaps, these battery stats will go live for all Android phones when Android 15 launches later this year.
Anyway, this is the first time that Google has openly confirmed the existence of an upcoming midrange model. That said, given the release pattern of the company’s recent Pixel A-series phones, this isn’t a big surprise.
Rumor has it that the Pixel 8a could launch in the next few months, possibly around the time of Google I/O in May.
When it comes to the price tag, previous rumors suggest that the phone may see a slight price increase again (just like the Pixel 7a overtook the Pixel 6a).