Gamescom 2025 is right around the corner, and it’s set to be one of the biggest gaming events of the year. Over the course of several days, Cologne will once again become the center of the gaming universe, with publishers, developers, and fans all gathering for a week packed with world premieres, hands-on demos, and more livestreamed showcases than you’ll reasonably have time to watch.
Whether you’re in it for the AAA blockbusters, the indie darlings, or just the chaos of live event surprises, this year’s lineup looks stacked. Last year saw the reveal of a lot of big sequels, including Borderlands 4 and Civilization VII. To be honest, this year won’t be that much different in that regard now that we know Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is the big game to start of the festivities.
Even still, Gamescom will have a little something for everyone. Here’s how to watch and what you can expect once the show kicks off.
Gamescom 2025: How to watch
Opening Night Live
Gamescom kicks off with Opening Night Live, setting the tone for everything that follows during the event. The showcase will stream on YouTube and be headlined by the worldwide reveal of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. Yes, that’s right — seven of them. We used to be a proper country.
The livestream starts at 2 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. CT / 11 a.m. PT, so clear your schedule if you want to see it all unfold in real-time.
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Xbox @ Gamescom
Xbox will stream for two days straight at Gamescom, kicking off on August 20 and running again on August 21. Both broadcasts start bright and early — 9 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. CT / 6 a.m. PT — and will be available to watch on YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, and Facebook.
Gamescom 2025: What to expect
As mentioned up top, the big headliner for this year’s event is the reveal of Black Ops 7. But for anyone whose interests go beyond the annual big shooty-shooter, Microsoft has something special: a playable build of Silksong, the long-awaited sequel to 2017’s sleeper hit action-platformer Hollow Knight.
Xbox’s showcase will also deliver fresh updates on several announced titles, including Grounded 2, Keeper, Ninja Gaiden 4, The Outer Worlds 2, and Overwatch 2.
We might also finally hear pricing details for the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X handheld systems — Microsoft’s first serious push into handheld PC gaming. Based on leaks, these things likely won’t come cheap. One leak pegs the high-end Xbox Ally X at €899 (around $1,047 USD), making it a full $100 more expensive than the 2TB version of the Xbox Series X.
Beyond that, Gamescom will be packed with reveals, trailers, and even live performances. Here’s the full schedule so far:
Opening Night Live — August 19, 1:30 p.m. ET (pre-show), 2 p.m. ET (main show)
Xbox @ Gamescom 2025 Broadcast — August 20, 9 a.m. ET
Future Games Show — August 20, 2 p.m. ET
Xbox @ Gamescom 2025 Broadcast — August 21, 9 a.m. ET
Aug 11 – Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) shares extended their winning streak Monday, climbing 3.5% to $341.8 and aiming for a fourth consecutive day of gains. The move puts the stock on the verge of a potential technical breakout, with chart watchers flagging $368 as the next key target if it can hold above the $338 resistance level, according to strategist Mark Newton.
Tesla Stock Nears Breakout as Model Y Demand Soars Ahead of Tax Credit Cut
Fresh data on Tesla’s order backlog shows Model Y wait times stretching to four-to-six weeks, up from one-to-three earlier this summer. The jump suggests rising demand, likely fueled by buyers rushing to secure the soon-to-expire $7,500 federal tax credit. The incentive, scaled back under President Donald Trump’s July 4 tax bill, has created a sense of urgency among prospective EV owners.
Year to date, Tesla shares remain down about 18%, reflecting a challenging first half. However, over the past 12 months, the stock has rallied roughly 65%, supported by improving production metrics, pricing stability, and renewed enthusiasm for the company’s growth story.
For many Tesla bulls, the real long-term catalyst remains the company’s autonomous-driving technology. Advocates believe its progress in full self-driving capabilities could open up entirely new revenue streams and transform Tesla’s earnings profile over the next decade.
We’ve recommended the OnePlus Watch 2 as a great alternative to Google and Samsung smartwatches since its debut, and the Watch 3 builds upon it with small, but meaningful upgrades. It retains everything we loved in its predecessor, like dual-frequency GPS and long battery life, but now adds Google Gemini, a rotating crown that scrolls, and video watch faces. The company also added its 60S Health Check-In, which provides a quick snapshot of your heart rate, blood oxygen levels, mental wellness, wrist temperature, sleep quality, and vascular age (with European users also getting EKGs) with a click of a button.
The OnePlus Watch 3 comes in two sizes: a new 43mm model introduced in July, and a 46mm version released back in April. Both are similar in terms of specs, but the 43mm model skips the 46mm’s temperature sensor that was used for reproductive cycle tracking and fall detection. The 46mm wearable also boasts a larger, brighter 2,200-nit OLED display, which is double the brightness of the 43mm version (1000 nits).
An affordable MacBook powered by the iPhone’s A18 Pro chip could launch later this year for $600, according to a report from Taiwanese publication DigiTimes on Monday.
The latest report corroborates a note by prominent industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo from last month that said Apple was working on a new MacBook Air powered by that processor. A $600 price point would be a significant step for Apple’s attempt to break into the affordable computing space. The report does give a range, however. While ithe laptop might cost $600, it could also be priced as high as $700.
A representative for Apple didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Read more: Best Cheap Laptop: Budget Computers for Every Use
Currently, the most affordable Apple laptop is the $999 MacBook Air, sporting an M4 chip, 16GBs of RAM and a 256GB SSD. Apple had long resisted giving its base MacBook a RAM upgrade, but did so last year to accommodate Apple Intelligence, the company’s suite of AI-powered features. Given that the iPhone 16 Pro, which has the A18 Pro chip, only has 8GBs of RAM, this more affordable MacBook might see a RAM downgrade as well.
Despite Apple’s iPhone dominance, it hasn’t had the same runaway success with its MacBook line. Apple only accounts for 9.2% of the global computing market share, according to Statista.
Competitors like Dell, HP, Lenovo and others all have greater market share than Apple, likely in large part to wide product portfolios with the ability to hit various price points and enterprise needs. The MacBook Air does well for Apple, however, accounting for 33% of laptop sales for the company, per a report by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners. An even cheaper MacBook could help grow Apple’s computing market share.
Interestingly, this iPhone-powered MacBook would also be the smallest laptop in Apple’s portfolio, sporting a 12.9-inch display. DigiTimes says that production could start at at the end of the third quarter of 2025. Availability could land at the end of this year or early 2026.
Minorities Rights March in Karachi, Pakistan on Aug. 10, 2025. Minorities Rights March Facebook
On the eve of Pakistan’s annual National Minorities Day, a human rights advocate on Sunday (Aug. 10) called on parliament to address an alarming increase in false blasphemy allegations.
With most rallies and seminars for the annual Aug. 11 National Minorities Day taking place on Sunday (Aug. 10) to ensure greater participation, Samson Salamat, chairman of rights group Rwadari Tehreek (Movement for Equality), told a forum at the Lahore Press Club that the parliament should hold a “Grand Dialogue” to discuss the spike in false allegations of blasphemy leading to mob violence.
“We demand the government constitute a judicial inquiry commission to investigate the ‘blasphemy business group’ and similar gangs entrapping innocent people in blasphemy cases,” Salamat said, “and to reveal the truth behind all the incidents of violence on Christians from the burning of Shantinagar in 1997 to Jaranwala tragedy in August 2023 and mob lynching of Nazeer Masih Gill in Sargodha in May 2024.”
Participants demanded the government ensure the protection of religious minorities; take punitive action against Muslim extremist groups involved in hate mongering and instigation of violence against vulnerable religious communities; and take practical steps to eradicate biases and hate material in school curriculum. Rwadari Tehreek organized the forum to express solidarity with victims and survivors of religious discrimination and persecution and to draw the government’s attention to issues facing minority communities.
In the southern port city of Karachi, Christian rights advocate Luke Victor told a rally that Pakistan has been officially observing Aug. 11 as National Minorities Day since 2009, yet minority communities still face discrimination, denial of basic facilities and the forced religious conversions.
“Even after 78 years of independence, we don’t feel free because our young daughters are forcefully converted and married off, because our children don’t get equal chances and because we are looked down upon,” Victor said. “We want freedom from discrimination and freedom from being called ‘Chuhra’ or ‘Bhangi’ [pejorative terms used for Christians]. We are all equal citizens of this country.”
The National Minorities Day is observed on Aug. 11 to honor Pakistan’s religious minorities who have contributed to creating Pakistan and in nation-building. It commemorates the speech of Pakistan’s founding father Muhammad Ali Jinnah to the legislature on Aug. 11, 1947, days before Pakistan separated from India, in which he pledged to protect the rights of non-Muslims in the newly created country. The government declared Aug. 11 as National Minorities Day in 2009.
In Karachi, a large number of people belonging to various minority groups participated in a Minorities Rights March on Sunday. They demanded a minimum 10 percent quota for minority students in all educational institutions, removal of discriminatory content from textbooks, constitutional recognition of minorities’ distinct identity, protection of places of worship and properties, criminalization of forced conversions, amendments to personal laws and revision of Articles 41 and 91 of the Constitution to allow minorities to run for the offices of president and prime minister.
They also sought greater political representation at the federal, provincial and district levels, measures for economic empowerment, protection against misuse of religious laws and inclusion of minorities in policymaking.
Safina Gill spoke about job discrimination and the quota system. She said that menial jobs such as those of sanitation workers are reserved for non-Muslims.
“Even educated non-Muslims are offered sanitation worker jobs through newspaper advertisements,” she said.
In 2009, the late federal minister for minorities Shahbaz Bhatti introduced a 5 percent job quota for minorities, which gradually dropped, Gill said.
“The terms and conditions to meet job criteria are made extra tough for non-Muslims even if they are eligible,” she said. “We need new policies to address such issues.”
At the Lahore Press Club forum, Katherine Sapna of legal group Christians’ True Spirit called for comprehensive and effective legislation to criminalize forced faith conversions of girls and boys belonging to Christian and Hindu communities.
Christian socio-political activist Rafaqat Sahotra demanded that the procedure to fill seats for minorities in parliament should be reformed.
“The government, political parties and other stakeholders should work on a scheme that involves the minority voters to elect their representatives in the national and provincial assemblies,” Sahotra said at the Lahore forum. “The current system of proportional representation practically takes away the democratic powers and rights from the voters to elect their minority parliamentarians and instead empowers the political parties and political elite without following any fair process, procedure or merit.”
The Minorities Alliance Pakistan (MAP) seminar held in the federal capital of Islamabad on Aug. 11 (Monday) also focused on the need for effective representation of minorities in provincial and national legislative assemblies.
“We demand amendments to Articles 36, 40, 51, 91, 106 and 203 of the Constitution so that the Pakistani minorities’ population of over 10 million can be freed from the constitutional discriminatory treatment and from restrictions on holding constitutional offices, and can live as equal and equivalent citizens in the country,” said MAP Chairman Akmal Bhatti.
Bhatti said he regretted that major political parties and their leaders had failed to fulfill the trust placed in them by their voters and have done nothing in practice to give minorities equal constitutional status.
Demanding an increase in the number of seats for minorities in the national and provincial assemblies according to the latest population census, the MAP chairman said that proportional representation of non-Muslims for reserved seats should also be changed to strengthen the democratic system.
In statements marking National Minorities Day, Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reaffirmed their commitment to protecting the rights of minorities while acknowledging their contributions to the country.
“This day reflects Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s vision of a Pakistan where every citizen lives in equality, harmony and mutual respect,” Zardari said.
He said that Pakistan stands resolutely against all forms of discrimination, extremism and religious intolerance.
“We remain determined to build a society free from prejudice – one that embraces diversity as a strength and is anchored in mutual respect, interfaith harmony and shared progress,” Zardari added.
Prime Minister Sharif also reaffirmed the government’s commitment to the full inclusion of minorities in government institutions, parliament and the national mainstream.
“The welfare and well-being of all minorities in Pakistan, be they Sikhs, Christians, Hindus (or) Parsis, is one of the priority duties of the government of Pakistan,” he said.
He emphasized the services rendered by minorities “in every walk of life,” including those who had sacrificed their lives defending Pakistan.
“We pay tribute to them from the bottom of our hearts,” he said. “Pakistan is proud of its minorities’ patriotism, professional hard work and attachment to national heritage and culture.”
The prime minister also stressed that protecting minority rights, aside from a constitutional obligation, was also a religious duty, saying, “Islam specifically advocates the protection of civil, religious and social rights of minorities. Scholars and religious leaders play a key role in protecting religious freedom.”
He called on all Pakistanis to practice unity and solidarity, mutual respect and tolerance.
Pakistan ranked eighth on Open Doors’ 2025 World Watch List of the most difficult places to be a Christian.
Channing Tatum and Rebecca Wang have joined the English dub voice cast of “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle.”
They join the original English dub voice cast from the “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba” anime series.
The returning cast includes Zach Aguilar as protagonist Tanjiro Kamado, Abby Trott as Nezuko Kamado, Aleks Le as Zenitsu Agatsuma, Bryce Papenbrook as Inosuke Hashibira, Johnny Yong Bosch as Giyu Tomikoa and Erika Harlacher as Shinobu Kocho. Tatum (Roofman) will join as the voice of Keizo with Rebecca Wang as the voice of Koyuki.
“We are thrilled to welcome back the beloved English voice cast reprising their roles for ‘Infinity Castle,’” said Mitchel Berger, executive VP of global commerce. “Their iconic voices have greatly contributed to the admiration of the characters and popularity of the franchise. And, we are excited to welcome Channing Tatum, who discovered his love of ‘Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba’ and anime through watching the series with his daughter, along with Rebecca Wang as the English voices of Keizo and Koyuki.”
“Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle” will be released on Sept. 12 in the United States and Canada, and is distributed by Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures Entertainment.
“Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle” is the first feature film in the three-part cinematic trilogy representing the final battle of the anime shonen series from animation studio Ufotable.
The story begins when Tanjiro Kamado, a boy whose family is killed by a demon, joins the Demon Slayer Corps to turn his younger sister Nezuko back into a human after she is transformed into a demon. While growing stronger and deepening his friendships and bonds with fellow corps members, Tanjiro has battled many demons with his comrades – Zenitsu Agatsuma and Inosuke Hashibira. Along the way, his journey has led him to fight alongside the Demon Slayer Corps’ highest-ranking swordsmen, the Hashira, including Flame Hashira Kyojuro Rengoku aboard the Mugen Train, Sound Hashira Tengen Uzui within the Entertainment District, as well as Mist Hashira Muichiro Tokito and Love Hashira Mitsuri Kanroji at the Swordsmith Village.
Indu Subramanian, MD: Hi, everyone. Welcome to Medscape. I’m so excited to have my friend and colleague, Prof Lorraine Kalia, join us today to talk about a very cool topic: what we can learn from multiple sclerosis (MS) studies and therapies, and how we can maybe translate that to some of the problems that we’ve been having in the Parkinson’s world.
Prof Lorraine Kalia is a clinical scientist at the Krembil Institute. She’s also an amazing neurologist at the University of Toronto, which is my alma mater. Welcome, Lorraine.
Lorraine V. Kalia, MD, PhD: Hi, Indu. Thanks for having me.
Meeting of MS and PD Minds
Subramanian: My name is Dr Indu Subramanian. I’m based at UCLA. Maybe we can get right into this. You had this very cool meeting in November 2022, and you had experts in the MS world as well as the Parkinson’s disease world. Tell us a little bit about what inspired that meeting in the first place.
Kalia: It’s a bit of a personal story, actually. I might date myself a little bit, but I was a medical student during the time of the natalizumab development. At that time, I thought I was going to be an MS neurologist.
Even back then, they already had a couple of disease-modifying therapies for MS and I thought, You know what, I think MS is good. I think they’re in good shape.
As a scientist with an understanding of the biology behind disease, it was clear to me that there still was a large amount of work needing to be done in Parkinson’s disease because that’s obviously how we translate things into having disease-modifying therapies. That was part of the reason — not the only reason — why I shifted into the movement disorder space.
Fast-forward many years later: I often give talks around the lack of disease-modifying therapies for Parkinson’s disease by introducing MS. Sometimes when you ask why we don’t have a disease-modifying therapy for Parkinson’s, people throw up their hands and say, “Well, you know, neurologic diseases are complicated.”
I’ll often use the MS example to demonstrate that actually there is much that can be done in the neurologic space and there’s been a lot of successes in MS.
I was once giving this talk, and as a consequence of this talk, had a conversation with Parkinson Canada who thought, wow, that’s an interesting idea around MS being so successful and PD lagging behind. We came up with the idea of having a meeting in Toronto. We obviously have very strong Parkinson’s researchers in Toronto, but also a very strong MS team at the Saint Michael’s Hospital.
I collaborated with a colleague — actually, we were residents together — to bring world experts to Toronto to sit around a table, which is what we did, and talk about where we are in MS and where we are in Parkinson’s disease. We were looking for common ground but also looking to see what is different and how we might think about things differently that might have led to the different paths that we’ve experienced in our fields.
Lessons From MS
Subramanian: What do you think some take-home messages for the clinician would be from that discussion? I think it was a very cool paper.
Kalia: Maybe the take-home messages is it’s complicated, which is not as simple as I had hoped. I hoped that we’d come back with clear messages of what we really need to do with Parkinson’s.
I think we found common ground for one thing. I think it’s fair to say that MS has done remarkably well at treating inflammation. All of their drugs are based on that, and they will recognize that they have challenges in terms of treating the neurodegenerative part of their condition.
Now that we increasingly recognize that inflammation is a part of Parkinson’s disease and there’s increased work around the immune basis to the disease, I think we are going to be able to take advantage of what MS has done and learn to hopefully make advances that way.
For anybody who’s learned about MS , its successes have hanged heavily on its neuroimaging biomarkers of MRI. Of course, biomarkers are needed for the development of Parkinson’s disease , and perhaps more work into the neuroimaging piece as well as the biospecimen biomarkers is key to starting to be able to have different kinds of outcome measures. Not the clinical outcome measures that we’re using right now in basically all of our clinical trials, but to have early biomarker outcome measures that will help to inform us for our later clinical trials.
The other commonality between the two is this concept of earlier disease. We have our prodromal Parkinson’s disease and MS has their radiologically isolated syndrome. Up until now, logically, it has made sense to us that we should treat earlier in Parkinson’s disease, and that will likely give us better successes. In the MS space, there’s actually proof of that. They have clinical trials showing the benefit of treating people in the radiologically isolated syndrome state.
While in Parkinson’s disease, it has been theoretical and seems to make sense to all of us, we don’t have any hard proof to say that treating earlier is better, whereas in MS they have already demonstrated that. I think this then provides us with actual proof in the pudding that that approach really does have implications for disease progression.
PD Ahead of MS for Lifestyle
Subramanian: Absolutely. I think both diseases in many ways have revolutionized since back in the day when we were in training. The MS models have really come a long way, with many patients doing very well for a long time. I think we have to really take a look at where our feelings are and how we can do better.
I’m excited just about the concept of identifying people early and then getting people who may be even at risk for developing Parkinson’s into lifestyle measures and wellness choices. I think MS has done a great job of that as well. Can you speak a little bit about that from your own perspective?
Kalia: I don’t think it came out in the paper, but it came out in our discussions that as a field and as a patient population, there’s probably been more embrace of lifestyle measures and physical activity in Parkinson’s, which I think is kudos to us in Parkinson’s disease.
Maybe it’s in part because in MS they have these drugs that came through one after another after another, and there’s this heavy pharma management of MS that they haven’t had to explore the lifestyle assets.
There’s a large amount that MS has to learn from Parkinson’s disease, in terms of putting in place so many of the things that we discuss in Parkinson’s, whether it be diet, sleep, stress or mindfulness — all of these things. I think that in Parkinson’s, we’re further ahead.
Subramanian: Absolutely. I agree with you. I’m excited to learn from these other disease states that we train under in residency. We see these patients and we can open our minds to looking at different lenses, for sure.
Thank you so much for spending the time and chatting about this. Kudos to you for having that meeting. It sounds like a great opportunity to bring great minds together.
Kalia: Yes. Hopefully, we can do more of this in the future.
Subramanian: Go Canada. Thank you for joining us, everyone.
Pixel phones have an excellent reputation for smart software, but battery life has been a common complaint with Google’s smartphones. Thankfully, that same smart software is now improving battery life and longevity, though many features aren’t set up for maximum endurance out of the box. I’ve found that a handful of features can dramatically improve how long your Pixel lasts, both in a single day and over the long haul.
Also: I’ve owned every Google Pixel flagship phone since the first – here’s why 2025 will be different
Here are the battery tweaks I rely on with my Pixel, and how you can set them up for the best results.
1. Use Battery Saver and Extreme Battery Saver modes
Jason Howell/ZDNet
Pixel’s Battery Saver modes are essential when you need your phone to last as long as possible at a moment’s notice. Standard Battery Saver is nice in that it immediately limits background activity, switches on Dark theme, and reduces visual effects that can tax a battery.
The real superhero is Extreme Battery Saver, going even further by pausing most apps and notifications to extend your battery for days if needed. Seriously, it’s that effective.
Also: How to turn on Android’s Private DNS Mode – and why your security depends on it
Here’s how to set the modes up. Go to Settings > Battery > Battery Saver and toggle on either Battery Saver or Extreme Battery Saver. You can go further by diving into the settings for Extreme Battery Save and choosing which apps stay active in Extreme Mode.
If you need this support regularly, you can even schedule Battery Saver to turn on automatically at a percentage of your choosing.
2. Adaptive Battery is smart power management
Adaptive Battery is one of Google’s most effective battery-saving tools that uses machine learning to determine which apps you are likely to use most and when you might use them. Over time, the feature learns your habits and starts limiting background power to less important apps, adding valuable hours to your daily battery life.
Also: How to factory reset your Android phone without unlocking it first
To ensure Adaptive Battery is working, open Settings > Battery > Battery Saver and make sure Adaptive Battery is toggled on. Then give the tool a few weeks to learn your usage patterns, especially if you’ve just set up a new phone or done a factory reset.
3. Set your screen to Adaptive Brightness
Jason Howell/ZDNet
How often have you turned on your phone in a dark room only to be blinded by a bright display? Phone displays are one of the biggest drains on battery, and not all contexts require the brightest screen settings possible. Adaptive Brightness uses AI to learn your preferences and habits and adjusts the brightness automatically, keeping it lower when you don’t need it screaming at you.
To enable Adaptive Brightness, go to Settings > Display > Adaptive Brightness and turn the feature on. Over time, your phone will get better at predicting the right brightness for you, which is a surefire way to save battery in the long run.
4. Adjust Adaptive Connectivity to save power on 5G Pixels
Since we’re obviously on the adaptive train, it’s worth mentioning that Pixels from the 4a onward have an easy-to-miss feature called Adaptive Connectivity. 5G speeds are great, but the radios can be a big drain on the battery. Adaptive Connectivity is contextually aware and automatically switches between 5G and 4G LTE depending on what you’re doing, opting for 4G for basic tasks and 5G when streaming or downloading something large.
Also: I changed 10 settings on my Pixel phone to significantly improve the user experience
To check or enable the feature, open Settings > Network & Internet > Adaptive Connectivity and ensure it’s toggled on. It’s unlikely that you’ll spot a noticeable drop in speed, but you’ll see the difference in battery life over time.
5. Schedule Bedtime Mode to cut overnight drain
Jason Howell/ZDNet
Bedtime Mode, part of Digital Wellbeing, is my favorite way to save battery while I sleep. It’s a powerful toolkit that can turn on Do Not Disturb, dim or grayscale the screen, and deactivate the Always-On Display so that your phone isn’t lighting unnecessary pixels all night while you sleep.
To set the feature up, go to Settings > Digital Wellbeing & Parental Controls > Bedtime Mode. There, you can set your preferred schedule and choose to turn off the Always-On Display at night.
6. Disable “Mobile Data Always Active” for better standby time
Jason Howell/ZDNet
By default, Android keeps your mobile data running even when you’re on Wi-Fi, which makes for faster, more seamless handoff between networks. It’s a nice quality of life feature, don’t get me wrong, but keeping mobile data flowing in the background isn’t always necessary and impacts battery life in the process.
If you’re comfortable tweaking advanced settings, you can turn this feature off in a special hidden menu called Developer Options. To reveal the menu, go to Settings > About Phone and tap Build Number seven times to unlock Developer Options. Now, return to Settings > System > Developer Options, find “Mobile data always active” and switch it off.
Also: I changed 12 settings on my Android phone to dramatically improve battery life
You might notice a slightly slower transition to cellular data once you move out of range of your connected Wi-Fi network, but for many, this slight inconvenience is worth the battery savings.
7. Enable Adaptive Charging to protect your battery’s health
Jason Howell/ZDNet
Maximizing battery life isn’t just about making it through the day, it’s also about keeping your battery healthy over many years. Google’s Charging Optimization menu on newer Pixel devices offers a few smart tools to help reduce battery wear, particularly during overnight charging.
Adaptive Charging helps protect your battery by learning your charging habits over time. Instead of charging 100% and continuing to feed current to the battery to keep it there, your Pixel charges to 80% quickly, then finishes charging just before you typically wake up. This feature reduces the time your battery spends at full charge, which can extend its overall lifespan.
Also: Google will announce its next lineup of Pixels on August 20 – Here’s what we know
To enable Adaptive Charging, go to Settings > Battery > Charging Optimization > Adaptive Charging and ensure that “Use charging optimization” is turned on. Then check that Adaptive Charging is selected.
8. Take advantage of Battery Health Assistance (Pixel 9a and newer)
Speaking of battery health, Google has started rolling out Battery Health Assistance on the latest Pixels, beginning with the Pixel 9a. This feature automatically manages your battery’s maximum voltage, starting after about 200 charge cycles and gradually adjusting up to 1,000 cycles. The ultimate goal is to slow down battery aging and help your phone keep a higher capacity over time.
The good news is that supported devices, like the Pixel 9a, have this feature running in the background automatically. The tool isn’t user-adjustable, but it’s a big step forward for long-term battery health.
With these tweaks, you can get more out of every charge and help your Pixel’s battery stay healthy for years. I’ve tested these settings on my devices, and the difference is real. Whether you’re trying to make it through a long day or want your phone to age gracefully, these battery tips will help your Pixel go the distance when it matters most.
