New App Created Using Android 14 “BatteryManager” APIs Shows Battery Health, Charge Count, And Other Vital Stats

Android smartphones far outnumber iPhones, but Apple has incorporated the “Battery Health” indicator in the iOS mobile operating system. A similar feature could be introduced in Android 14.

Android 13 was supposed to offer information about the estimated or approximated health of a smartphone battery. However, Google pulled the feature. It may now make its way to the millions of Android smartphones that will receive the Android 14 OS update.

Android 14 To Indicate Battery Health Similar To iOS For Apple iPhone?

Android 14 has introduced new BatteryManager APIs. Although these new APIs currently remain hidden and unusable by the OS, they could offer the information needed for battery health information, claims a new leak.

A few days back, I commented on some new BatteryManager APIs Google added in Android 14. Two of the APIs (cycle count & charging status) are public while the rest (manufacturing date, date of first use, charging policy, state of health) are system APIs. https://t.co/3ujezWsLg2

— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) June 1, 2023

Although the BatteryMAnager APIs do not output any information yet, they could offer valuable insights such as cycle count, charging status, manufacturing date, date of first use, charging policy, and state of health.

Incidentally, these APIs are only available on Pixel devices running Android 14 Beta 2 or higher. This is understandable because Google Pixel smartphones are the first to get new features before they are trickled out to smartphones from other manufacturers.

New Open-Source App Grabs Data From BatteryManager API To Display Vital Stats

Although the BatteryManager APIs are restricted to Android 14 Beta 2 and Pixel smartphones, a developer has already created an app using them. The open-source battery health app called Batt draws information from the experimental APIs and gives relevant readouts.

The Batt app is not available on the Google Play Store. Interested users can download the Batt app from GitLab.

The batt app utilizes the Android 14 APIs to provide users with battery health statistics. These APIs infer information from the charging IC’s tracking capabilities and the HAL’s support for this feature. The Integrated circuit (IC) for charging controls the charging process of the battery in a smartphone. HAL or Hardware Abstraction Layer provides a standard and simplified interface between the hardware and the software.

Needless to say, the Batt app and the BatteryManager APIs are experimental. In other words, the battery health statistics provided by the app might not be accurate. Nonetheless, the app seems to work and offers readable information. T

Google may include the Battery Health feature in Android 14. However, some experts suggest it is more likely to be introduced in Android 15. The feature might undergo several more tweaks and allow smartphone manufacturers to present the information in the way they want. Brands may offer recommendations about charging, prolonging battery health, and suggest a visit to a service center if needed.