Google released a pretty cool feature in its recent December Feature Drop. The update, which helps extend a user’s battery life by limiting charging to only 80 percent, was pushed out as part of the feature drop.

However, spotted by Redditor takaxia, the update also allows for the Pixel 8 and Pixel 9 series to run directly on AC power completely bypassing the battery.

Pixel phones finally support bypass charging
byu/takaxia inGooglePixel

Users can do this by heading to Settings > Battery > Charging optimization and enabling the Limit to 80 percent option. Once you charge your handset to 80 percent, it will stop using its battery and directly use the AC to keep it running. This will reduce battery decay over time, extending a user’s battery.

Additionally, this can help reduce the heat the Pixel generates. The handset can get pretty hot when gaming, depending on what title you’re playing. When plugged in, the handset won’t produce any heat when playing titles because the device won’t be using its battery and will use the AC adapter instead.

The feature works if you’ve downloaded the latest Pixel Drop and are using the Android 15 QPR1 build for the Pixel 8 and Pixel 9.

Source: Android Police