Pixel smartphone users have noticed that the feature to limit charging to 80% doesn’t always work properly – some devices still charge to 100%. This caused concern, and owners started discussing the problem on Reddit and Google’s support forum. Some have even linked it to the March Android update.
In reality, however, everything works the way Google intended. The charge limiting feature is designed to extend battery life by preventing the battery from being constantly charged to 100 per cent. However, as the GrapheneOS developers explained, sometimes Pixel smartphones still need to be fully charged. This is necessary to calibrate the battery so that the system can correctly estimate its capacity.
Google confirmed that this feature was previously not working properly – before the release of Android 15 QPR2, the recalibration mechanism did not start properly. It has now been restored, which means that periodic charging to 100% is normal device behaviour, not a bug.