![\"Limit](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Limit-to-80-enabled-on-Google-Pixel-11.jpg\"\/ "\\"Limit")
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Shimul Sood \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n
Add Android Authority on Google: <\/p>\n
I have a bad habit of using my phone while it\u2019s charging. Most of the time, you\u2019ll find me playing Sudoku, my favorite game for years. I know it\u2019s probably better to just leave the phone alone and let it charge, but that rarely happens.<\/p>\n
And I\u2019m sure I\u2019m not the only one. Maybe you\u2019re in the middle of a game, replying to work messages, or just need to use it for something important while it\u2019s plugged in. The problem is that charging already generates heat, and using the phone at the same time can add even more of it \u2014 something your battery definitely doesn\u2019t appreciate in the long run.<\/p>\n
Thankfully, Pixel phones<\/a> have a pretty clever feature for exactly this situation. It can power the phone without constantly charging the battery, so you can keep using it while reducing extra heat and stress. What surprised me more is that this isn\u2019t even a new Pixel feature<\/a>. It has been around for roughly two years, but it\u2019s incredibly easy to miss. Here\u2019s how it works and how you can turn it on.<\/p>\n Do you use your phone while it’s charging?<\/p>\n 42 votes<\/p>\n Yes, all the time.<\/p>\n 33%<\/p>\n Sometimes, only when I need to.<\/p>\n 48%<\/p>\n Rarely, I try to leave it alone.<\/p>\n 14%<\/p>\n Never, I let it charge in peace.<\/p>\n 5%<\/p>\n How to make your Pixel stop charging at 80%<\/p>\n Taylor Kerns \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n The feature I\u2019m talking about is called Limit to 80%<\/a>, and turning it on takes less than a minute:<\/p>\n Open the Settings app on your Pixel. As the name suggests, your Pixel will generally stop charging once the battery reaches 80%, which can help reduce battery wear over time. Your phone may still occasionally charge all the way to 100%, though, so it can keep its battery capacity estimates accurate.<\/p>\n That last bit actually confused me when I first tried the feature on my Pixel 11<\/a> and Pixel 11 Pro XL<\/a>. I turned it on, plugged in the Pixel 11, and later came back to find it sitting at 100%. The same thing happened with the 11 Pro XL, so I assumed I was either doing something wrong or the feature wasn\u2019t working.<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve just turned the feature on and your Pixel happily cruises past 80% anyway, don\u2019t panic.<\/p>\n After digging around and coming across a popular Reddit thread<\/a> discussing the same thing, it started to make sense. Your Pixel can still charge to 100% even with the 80% limit enabled, particularly when it needs to recalibrate its battery capacity estimates.<\/p>\n In my case, once I used the phone normally and went through the second charging cycle, it started limiting the battery at 80% as expected. So, if you\u2019ve just turned the feature on and your Pixel happily cruises past 80% anyway, don\u2019t panic. Give it another charging cycle or two before assuming something is wrong.<\/p>\n Why bypass charging is such a powerful feature<\/p>\n Robert Triggs \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n So, what actually happens when your Pixel reaches 80%? Say I plug in my Pixel 11 at 6%. It charges normally until it reaches 80%, then stops charging. If I keep the cable connected, power can go directly towards keeping the phone running instead. So, I can keep scrolling or do pretty much anything else while the battery stays at 80%. You can even see this in some battery-monitoring apps<\/a> (I use AccuBattery<\/a>), where the Pixel shows it\u2019s plugged into a power source but the battery itself is \u201cnot charging.\u201d<\/p>\n But you can\u2019t turn it on whenever you want.<\/p>\n That\u2019s essentially bypass charging, although there is one thing you should know. You can\u2019t turn it on whenever you want. If I plug in my Pixel at 40%, for example, it will still charge the battery until it reaches 80%. Only then does the bypass part kick in.<\/p>\n Shimul Sood \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n I wanted to see this happening for myself, so I used my Baseus PicoGo Pro 100W charger, which has a display showing how much power the phone is drawing. I plugged in my Pixel 11 at around 6%, and it started at roughly 26W. As the battery filled, that number gradually dropped, reaching around 5W by the time I hit 75%. Once the Pixel reached 80%, things changed. With the screen off and the phone sitting idle, I saw the power draw drop to around 1W. I picked it up and started scrolling, and it jumped to roughly 2W. Put the phone down, and it dropped again. Meanwhile, the battery stayed at 80% the entire time.<\/p>\n That was the easiest way for me to understand what was happening. Instead of continuing to charge the battery, the Pixel was drawing the small amount of power it needed to keep running. I could even watch the wattage fluctuate depending on what I was doing on the phone.<\/p>\n My Pixel wasn\u2019t getting hot anymore.<\/p>\n I noticed another difference almost immediately: my Pixel wasn\u2019t getting hot anymore. Normally, using the phone while it\u2019s charging makes it noticeably warm. Once it reached 80%, though, I could continue using it without that charging heat building up. Considering how often I use my phone while it\u2019s plugged in, this is probably the biggest reason I\u2019ll keep the feature enabled.<\/p>\n Shimul Sood \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n A couple of things to keep in mind. I couldn\u2019t get the same bypass behavior while charging wirelessly. The 80% limit still works, but the phone can periodically top up the battery instead of bypassing it the same way. Wired bypass charging, on the other hand, worked even when I plugged my Pixel into a power bank.<\/p>\n And, of course, there\u2019s the obvious trade-off: whenever I unplug my Pixel, I\u2019m starting with 80% rather than a completely full battery. I\u2019m fine with that on most days, though I\u2019d still love a dedicated bypass charging option for gaming. If I\u2019m playing something demanding with 50% left, it would be nice to plug in and power the phone without first charging the battery to 80%.<\/p>\n Google isn\u2019t the first to offer something like this, either. Bypass charging has been a staple on gaming phones<\/a> such as the ASUS ROG Phone series for years. But you don\u2019t need to be gaming for hours to benefit from it. Sometimes, you\u2019re just someone like me who refuses to put their phone down even when it\u2019s plugged in. And that\u2019s why I\u2019m keeping the 80% limit turned on. Besides, my Sudoku addiction isn\u2019t going anywhere. At least now, my battery doesn\u2019t have to suffer for it.<\/p>\n Google Pixel 11<\/a> Slimmer camera bar looks sleek \u2022 25W Pixelsnap magnetic charging \u2022 Larger 48MP main camera sensor<\/p>\n The Google Pixel 11 is a flagship Android phone powered by Tensor G6, with a 6.3-inch 120Hz Actua display, a new 48MP main camera, 5x telephoto with 30x Super Zoom, Pixelsnap Qi2.2 charging, and seven years of OS, security, and Pixel Drop updates.<\/p>\n![\"google](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/google-pixel-charging-optimization.jpg\"\/ "\\"google")
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\nHead to Battery and Charging.
\nTap Charging Optimization.
\nTurn on Use Charging Optimization.
\nYou\u2019ll now see two options: Adaptive Charging and Limit to 80%.
\nSelect Limit to 80%, and you\u2019re good to go.<\/p>\n![\"Pixel](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Pixel-Extreme-Charging.jpg\"\/ "\\"Pixel")
<\/p>\n![\"Baseus](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Baseus-PicoGo-Pro-100W-charger-showing-26W.jpg\"\/ "\\"Baseus")
<\/p>\n![\"Decreased](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Decreased-to-5W-after-the-76-charge.jpg\"\/ "\\"Decreased")
<\/p>\n![\"Google](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/custom_filename.jpg\"\/)
Google Pixel 11<\/a><\/p>\n