What you need to know
- A dive into Google's Device Health Services app shows signs of a new "Adaptive Thermal" feature for Pixels.
- The feature seems designed to help users take the necessary measures if their Pixel is overheating, which the feature will alert them to.
- Adaptive Thermal features various warning states if a Pixel's temperature is rising too high before shutting itself down for protection.
It seems that Google is working on a way to help users keep their Pixels cool if it's running a risk of overheating.
According to Mishaal Rahman at Android Authority, version 1.27 of the Device Health Services app on Pixels holds clues about "Adaptive Thermal." Early strings of code in the app suggest that Google's new feature will warn users if their Pixel is encroaching on those hotter temperatures so they can assist with it.
It was discovered that Adaptive Thermal will push a "pre-emergency" notification to users if their device is rising toward 120 degrees Fahrenheit. The notification is joined by a tagline reading "phone needs to cool down" and that your Pixel's performance will slow.
Google explains within the app's code that these performance "limitations" include your Pixel's speed, the disabling of your 5G network connection, "and more."
The feature will also offer a few suggestions users can use to cool down their Pixel when tapping "See care steps." The code shows that users might see the following options:
- Try avoiding direct sunlight
- Put your phone in the open for airflow
- Close any battery-intensive apps like videos, games, and the camera
Rahman states that Adaptive Thermal will continuously check on your device's temperature every five minutes. If your Pixel hasn't gotten better and instead rises in temperature to 126 degrees or above, this will activate its "emergency" state. While it sounds serious, Rahman adds that he couldn't see the details of that phase.
Additionally, if the temperature rises considerably to 131 degrees or higher, your device will warn you of an impending shutdown. The code shows that Adaptive Thermal will warn you that your Pixel shut off in 30 seconds for protection.
It's unclear when Google plans on rolling this feature out to Pixels, but it could arrive on the Pixel 9 series if anything.
It's nothing new to say that Google's Pixel series has a bad history of overheating, such as the problems Pixel 7 and 6 users faced last year. Those issues followed a security patch where users on Reddit reported a severe rise in device temperature, followed by a costly drain on their batteries.
The Pixel 8 series encountered some overheating issues later last year, as well. It didn't appear widespread, however, several users reported that their devices would get quite warm when browsing the internet and while charging.
