The Pixel 7 and 7 Pro offer 4,355mAh and 5,000mAh lithium-ion batteries, respectively. However, like any battery, the charge-holding capacity decreases with regular usage because of chemical aging. It's natural for a smartphone battery to lose its maximum capacity after a while. Certain factors can increase the rate of chemical aging, one of which is charging the Pixel 7, or any Android phone for that matter, overnight.
According to Google, "Adaptive Charging helps preserve battery health over time by dynamically controlling how quickly a Pixel device charges." When s leave their devices plugged in overnight, the phone stops charging once the battery hits 100 percent capacity. The Pixel 7 then starts to run off its battery, but the moment it loses just one percent charge, it starts drawing power from the charger. Over a seven or eight-hour period, this process, called trickle charging, could occur several times, harming the battery's charge-holding capacity and reducing its lifespan.
Adaptive Charging Helps Maintain Battery Health
This is where Pixel 7's Adaptive Charging comes in. To enable the feature, open the Settings app, go to the 'Battery' section, and select 'Adaptive Battery.' Enable the 'Adaptive Charging' option on the next screen by tapping on the toggle beside it. The always-on display will show when the phone is using adaptive charging and what time it is scheduled to complete charging. However, for the feature to work, s must charge their Pixel 7 between 9 p.m. and 4 a.m., with an alarm set between 3 a.m. and 10 a.m.
Activating the feature prevents the battery from reaching 100 percent during the night and falling prey to trickle charging. Instead, it charges the phone up to 80 percent at the regular speed before slowing down. Essentially, the Adaptive Charging feature breaks down the charging process into two phases. In the first phase, it takes the battery to 80 percent at a regular pace and covers the remaining 20 percent at a reduced rate.
The Pixel 7 and 7 Pro don't offer particularly fast charging speeds, so many s might leave their phones to charge overnight. Adaptive Charging is a great way to ensure that doing so will not affect the battery's health and longevity. The feature also works when charging the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro wirelessly.
How To Turn Off Adaptive Charging On The Pixel 7
Adaptive Charging might not always be useful, particularly if s wake up before their alarm and their phone isn't fully charged. In this case, Google makes it easy for s to disable the feature. To do this, open the Settings app on the Pixel 7 and tap 'Battery.' Tap 'Adaptive preferences' and turn off the toggle next to 'Adaptive charging.'
Additionally, Google is making Adaptive Charging more usable by displaying a notification when the feature is in use, informing s when their phone will finish charging. s can tap on 'Turn off once' if they want to disable Adaptive Charging just for that day. This ensures that the feature remains enabled on the Pixel 7, while giving s more flexibility when it comes to turning it off.
Source: Google