![\"google](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/google-pixel-charging-optimization.jpg\"\/ "\\"google")
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Taylor Kerns \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n
TL;DR<\/p>\n
Pixel phones\u2019 optional 80% charging limit works differently than it used to.
\nAs of the March update, phones with the setting enabled charge to about 77% at a normal rate, then slow charging drastically from that point to 80%.
\nSome users don\u2019t like the new charging behavior, complaining that it makes bypass charging more difficult to achieve.<\/p>\n
Like many other modern gadgets, Google\u2019s Pixel phones offer a setting to limit battery charging to 80 percent of maximum capacity to protect long-term battery health. Over the past few days, users have been reporting that with this setting enabled, getting to that 80 percent mark is taking a lot longer than it used to.<\/p>\n
A bunch<\/a> of Pixel users<\/a> have taken to Reddit<\/a> (via Android Police<\/a>) to speak up about this new behavior. It seems like the change is affecting multiple Pixel models and started with the March Pixel Drop<\/a> that started rolling out earlier this month. As it turns out, though, the new behavior doesn\u2019t seem to be a bug, but rather a conscious change on Google\u2019s part.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t want to miss the best from Android Authority?<\/p>\n Following the March update, with the 80% charging optimization feature enabled, Pixel phones are reaching a charge percentage in the high 70s at a normal rate, but once the phone reaches 77 or 78%, charging slows significantly. One Pixel 10a user on Reddit says their phone is taking \u201cabout an hour\u201d to get from 77 to 80%.<\/p>\n Another user shared a screen recording<\/a> showing that with the 80% limit imposed, their Pixel starts pulling less than one watt at a 77% charge, versus 12 to 14 watts at the same charge level with the setting turned off.<\/p>\n Despite some users\u2019 displeasure with the new behavior, a Google IssueTracker entry about the behavior has been marked as fixed<\/a>, with a Googler sharing that the new charging pattern is intentional \u201cto manage battery health.\u201d<\/p>\n While the difference in usable battery life unplugging at 77% rather than 80% is down to a few minutes of screen time, plenty of users are calling on Google to roll back the change, or at least make it optional. A common complaint is that the new behavior makes so-called bypass charging \u2014 where the phone operates on power from the charger without actively charging the battery \u2014 harder to achieve. As the battery sips power at a very low rate near the 80% ceiling, it might never reach a full charge if the phone is in use while charging.<\/p>\n Have you noticed this new charging optimization limitation on your own Pixel? Do you care one way or the other? Let us know in the comments.<\/p>\n![\"google](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1768233971_656_google_preferred_source_badge_light@2x.png\"\/ "\\"google"){kind=icon}
![\"google](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1768233972_401_google_preferred_source_badge_dark@2x.png\"\/ "\\"google"){kind=icon}
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