Google is rolling out a new feature that gives Pixel 10 and Pixel 11 users a clearer picture of how their phone’s battery is being used.
We reported last month on leaks pointing to an AI-powered battery feature in development at Google, expected to bring “battery usage summaries” to Android 17.
That feature has now gone live, arriving first for Pixel 10 and Pixel 11 owners via the latest AI Core update. It’s worth noting this rollout is separate from the recently announced September Android Drop, which brings five other new features.
In practice, these battery usage summaries take the dense, raw data behind your phone’s power consumption and turn it into plain, digestible language.
What are ‘Battery usage summaries’?
Open the Battery section in your Settings app, and you’ll now see a clear, at-a-glance summary of how your phone has been using its charge.
That includes flagging the power-hungry apps responsible for sending you hunting for a wall charger halfway through the day (or, failing that, eyeing up a phone with better battery life instead). The summary will also let you know whether you’ve been using your phone more heavily than usual, or giving it an easier day.
According to Google’s own support page, the summaries are designed to highlight only the most important information, with outputs that vary — so this isn’t meant to be a detailed breakdown, just a quick, friendly overview.
If you own one of Google’s newer handsets, the feature should already be switched on by default. To disable it, go to Settings > Battery & charging > Battery Usage, tap More, then select Battery usage summaries.
In other Pixel news
In other news, Google has also refreshed the interface for its Now Playing feature, with track information now surfacing from the bottom of the screen for easier one-handed use.
The Favourites tab has had some attention too, gaining added dates and timestamps, alongside an overall sharper, cleaner look.
