Google has officially launched its Pixel 10 series smartphones, following weeks of teasers while poking fun at Apple along the way. Pixel 10 pre-orders are live, including the new Pro Fold model, and users can look forward to a bunch of generational upgrades, such as the latest Tensor G5 processor. The devices also enjoy higher battery capacity than last gen, but there’s one thing about the battery life that will continue to disgruntle fans: Google’s battery throttling.

Battery health assistance is a feature that has been available since the Pixel 6a and is designed to improve the lifespan of your battery. It does this by adjusting (limiting) the battery’s maximum voltage, starting after 200 charge cycles, says Google, all the way up to 1000 cycles. You can turn this off on older Pixel phones, but it’s forced on for the Pixel 10 series.

You can’t turn off Battery health assistance on Pixel 10 phones

Turn Battery health assistance on or off

Important:

• This only applies to Pixel 6a, Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro, Pixel 7a, Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro, Pixel 8a, Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, and Pixel 9 Pro Fold.
• To help maintain the health and performance of the battery, we recommend that you keep this feature on.

If you have a Pixel 6a to Pixel 9 Pro Fold, you can turn assistance on or off.

Source: Google Support

As you can see above, Google recommends you keep this feature on, but there has always been the option to turn it off, from the 6a through to the last-gen Pixel 9 Pro Fold. This seems to imply that Pixel 10 series owners have no choice but to keep it on, and this has now been confirmed. According to Android Authority, Google confirms the feature is mandatory on the Pixel 10 series.

Once battery health assistance kicks in, “you may notice a slight change in battery charging performance,” says Google, which, in other words, means lower battery life along with the natural aging of the battery. Pixel 8a and newer phones are rated for 1000 charge cycles, after which Google recommends a battery replacement; earlier models from the Pixel 3 onwards are rated for 800.

All in all, Battery health assistance has become a useful feature for preserving the health of your Pixel’s battery, but removing the option to turn it off for Pixel 10 owners won’t go down well with some users. Phone batteries naturally degrade and will always get worse over time, and this feature reduces the capacity even further beyond this natural degradation.

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Jack Goodall

At PC Guide, Jack is mostly responsible for reporting on hardware deals. He also specializes in monitors, TVs, and headsets and can be found putting his findings together in a review or best-of guide.