If you're wondering why your battery drains faster on some days than others, your phone's battery usage page can provide some insight. Most phones have a settings page that breaks down battery usage in terms of screen-on time, background activity, and individual app consumption. Those who'd prefer a simple, bullet-point summary of their battery usage can get just that with a new Google feature.
It's available on Google Pixel 10 and Pixel 11 series phones, and I tried it for a few weeks on my Pixel 11 Pro Fold review unit.
Your Pixel's battery usage page is smarter
It can analyze your usage and compare it to your typical consumption
Credit: Brady Snyder / MakeUseOf
Google's battery usage summaries shipped with the Pixel 11 series, and later made their way to Pixel 10 owners. They require the latest version of AI Core to work, so if you've removed this app from your Pixel to free up storage, you won't see them. AI Core analyzes your Pixel's battery usage in the background, compares it to your typical usage habits, and generates a summary when you open the Battery usage page in the Settings app.
You can find your battery summaries by navigating to Settings → Battery and charging → Battery usage. After opening the page, you'll see a Summary since last full charge generate in real time at the top of the screen. Luckily, it only takes a few seconds to generate. The battery summaries are short and sweet — at most, you'll see a few bullet points of data.
Credit: Brady Snyder / MakeUseOf
If your phone supports battery summaries, they'll be turned on by default. You can turn them off by getting to that Battery usage page and tapping the three-dot menu in the top-right corner of the screen. Here, you can tap Battery usage summaries and jump to another settings page. This one explains how battery usage summaries work, and reveals a toggle that can be used to turn them on or off.
Google says your battery usage data is processed on-device, which is important for privacy. The feature provides "a summary of your app and battery usage" and "personalized tips to help improve your battery life." After using them for weeks, they can be useful, but there's a lot more Google could add to battery summaries in the future.
The summary means you won't have to look deeper into usage stats
As a smartphone power user, I have a pretty good grasp on how long my battery will last. I know on travel days that high screen-on times, frequent Bluetooth audio playback, and constant 5G connectivity will drain my battery faster than usual. If my battery drops unexpectedly, I'm aware that I can check my battery usage stats to identify the app causing the extra drain. Pixel battery summaries aren't replacing these stats, but they are making these insights available to casual users.
They're based on your last 14 days of activity, and don't include system apps. Instead, they focus on the regular apps you actively use — and can turn off, if you catch them using too much battery. For example, I might open a Pixel battery summary in the afternoon and see that I've used about 50% of my battery, which is typical for that time of day. Depending on my current usage and two-week average, I could see a summary stating that I've used more or less battery than usual.
Bullet points can point out specific apps that are draining your battery most. I've seen Pixel battery summaries call out Threads, Apple Music, Chrome, and Instagram for consuming the highest amount of battery. This can be helpful, because while some apps are obvious battery culprits, others aren't. The Apple Music app uses more battery in the background than I expected, and it was responsible for significant drain.
These summaries can be actionable. If I was on a train or plane with a fast-depleting battery, I could force stop Apple Music and go without it to preserve battery life.
I want predictive usage summaries next
Tell me how those real-time duration estimates are calculated
Credit: Brady Snyder / MakeUseOf
In some ways, Google's battery summaries feel unfinished. They could have been integrated with the At a Glance widget on Pixel home screens to make battery insights more accessible. At the very least, I would've liked to see battery summaries arrive as notifications — particularly when usage is higher than typical. The current implementation, which requires you to dig through settings pages to see the summaries, creates friction.
Predictive battery summaries might be more helpful than reactive battery summaries. Pixel phones already give you an estimated runtime on the Battery and charging settings page, as well as in the Quick Settings panel. Currently, my Pixel is sitting at 85% charge, which it says will last 25 hours. But how is that number calculated, and what usage habits must I continue to actually achieve that runtime?
This is the kind of question AI battery summaries should be able to answer, but can't. While I've been fascinated by battery summaries on my Pixel 11 Pro Fold, they have a long way to go before they change how I use and charge my phone.
SoC
Google Tensor G6
Display
6.3-inch Actua display
RAM
12GB
Storage
256 or 512GB
Battery
4985 mAh
Brand
Google
The starter Google Pixel 11 isn't the flashiest Android phone of the bunch, but it's the one that resonated with me the most. The slimmer camera bar makes the Pixel 11 feel modern and sleek, and it's powered by the same Tensor G6 processor as the rest of the series. For $900, this is a solid Android flagship.
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Credit: Brady Snyder / MakeUseOf
