[Updated] Google Pixel users working night shift want adaptive charging tied to bedtime mode & not morning alarm (workaround inside)

New updates are being added at the bottom of this story…….

Original story (published on March 1, 2023) follows:

Adaptive charging is a feature on Google Pixel 4 and newer phones that helps preserve the long-term health of the battery by charging it slowly and steadily overnight.

It uses the alarm settings to ensure that the phone is fully charged just before the user wakes up rather than staying plugged in for an extended period of time yet fully charged.

As good a feature it might be, some Google Pixel users who work night shifts or have customized sleep schedules are facing an issue with the phone’s adaptive charging function.

Customizable adaptive charging requested by some

According to Google and further seconded by the many reports doing rounds (1,2,3,4,5), adaptive charging only works with alarms that are set to trigger before 10 AM.

why does adaptive charging only work when you have your alarm set to an early time? I often have my alarm set to 12 pm and that’s just my normal schedule. I’ve noticed it only does adaptive charging on days where I have to wake up super early and thus have an early alarm. Isn’t it supposed to adapt and learn my normal everyday behavior?
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Pixel 7 not Adaptive Charging. Phone always charges quickly, despite the setting being enabled and an alarm being set. Can’t seem to figure it out.
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This means that those who work night shifts and sleep during the day are not able to benefit from the feature as their alarms are set for some other time in the day.

To use adaptive charging, users need to charge their phones between 9 PM and 4 AM and have an active alarm set to go off anywhere between 3 AM and 10 AM.

Affected Pixel users have expressed frustration with this limitation and are calling for Google to introduce more customizable settings for the adaptive charging feature.

Potential workaround

Some users have suggested a workaround that seems to be just a temporary fix for the problem. A user suggested setting a silent alarm for 9 AM to trigger the adaptive charging feature.

It’s really stupid. The best workaround I’ve found is to have a silent alarm set for 9am. Although, I recently got a Galaxy Watch and it vibrates even if the alarm isn’t set to vibrate.
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Google has not yet addressed this issue or provide any updates on whether they plan to introduce more customizable settings for the adaptive charging feature.

In the meantime, users will need to either work around the limitation or disable the feature altogether.

While the adaptive charging feature on Pixel phones can help preserve the long-term health of the battery, it currently has limitations that prevent it from being used effectively by users with night shifts.

We hope Google addresses these limitations to make the feature more useful for a wider range of Pixel owners. Until then, keep tabs on this story as we will post further developments as and when we come across any.

05:02 pm (IST): As per 9to5Google, it has been noticed that the adaptive charging feature of Google Pixel may not need an alarm to be set in order to work.

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