For many smartphone users, battery health has always been a primary concern. Android users have been left waiting, while iPhone users have been able to take advantage of a dedicated feature for tracking battery life and health. But at last, especially for Samsung users, the wait is over. Samsung plans to include a new feature called “Battery Protection” in its next One UI update in response to consumer demand for longer battery life and improved smartphone performance.

Users of Samsung Galaxy smartphones running Android 14 may be able to preview a new feature that protects against battery drain, according to a 9to5Google report. The feature can be found in the upcoming One UI 6.1’s Settings menu under the new “Battery Protection” section. Notably, the information is based on leaks; official details should be revealed next month when the much awaited Galaxy S24 series debuts.

The leaks indicate that One UI 6.0 (Android 14) patches, which will power the new Galaxy S24 series, contain an embedded battery protection feature for Galaxy devices. However, this feature is concealed from ordinary users. In order to utilize the application, users must manually initiate a “activity” through specialized apps such as “Activity Launcher.” It is necessary to activate the particular activity known as “BatteryProtectionActivity.”

When this activity is launched, a new menu appears, giving users the option to select from three different levels of protection and toggle on the feature. These three tiers consist of:

• “Basic protection” guarantees a minimum of 95% charge but stops the charger from keeping the device at 100%.
• “Adaptive protection” based on the user’s usual phone usage habits stops fast charging at 80% and charges to 100% gradually. This is comparable to a Google Pixel phone feature that operates on the basis of an active alarm.
• “Maximum protection” limits the amount that can be charged to 80%.

There’s a catch, though: Apparently, the feature isn’t working right now. There is no real effect on battery behavior, even though users can toggle between options and the settings display correctly. Tarun Vats, the person who first brought attention to this problem on Twitter, claims that turning on battery protection only restricts the battery’s capacity to 85%—a feature that has been accessible since Samsung’s Android 13 update.

However, everyone will soon be able to use the feature. According to reports, Google is working on a solution that will enable Android users to check the health of their batteries, which supports the availability of a dedicated feature for battery health. According to reports, Google plans to release this update along with the next OS upgrade.