TheGoogle Pixel 8ais expected to debut in a couple of months' time, possibly at I/O 2024. There’s not much we know about the device except for the information gleaned frompre-launch leaksandunofficial rendersof the midranger. However, a Googler has now revealed that a recently removed Android feature would be coming back on the Pixel 8a and newer devices.
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This is the first time Google has openly acknowledged the existence of the midranger, though it’s not particularly a big secret considering the release timeline of the company’s last few Pixel A-series phones. The revelation came after several usersreported the disappearanceof the Battery information page withinSettings>About Phone>Battery Information(via9to5Google). In response, a Google employee simply responded with the following:
Status: Won’t Fix (Intended Behavior)
We only enable this page on Pixel 8a and beyond, so this is WAI(Working as Intended)
The Battery information page was made available with early betas ofAndroid 14 QPR1last year but was mysteriously removed following the recentAndroid 14 QPR2release. This battery stats section didn’t provide much information on the battery, only displaying the battery’s manufacture date and its cycle count, as you can see below.
The now-removed Battery information section
Nevertheless, some people were understandably curious as to why it was removed, only to hear from Google that this was intended behavior. The good news here is that the Pixel 8a and newer models will get this Battery information section back.
However, providing basic info on the battery health of your Pixel doesn’t sound like a heavy-duty task that should be limited to newer hardware. Perhaps Google will have a change of heart in this matter, especially going by the flurry of comments from Pixel users on the issue tracker.
As for the Pixel 8a, there are still several unknowns, although preliminary reports about the phone’s pricingdon’t inspire much confidence. We may be looking at a May unveiling yet again, with Google already sending out invites for I/O Connect in June, which will take place in Berlin this year. I/O Connect serves as a follow-up to the main I/O event and was held last year in Miami, Amsterdam, and Bengaluru, on separate dates after I/O 2023.
