With the switch to Android 12, Google also had a big widget restart. Since then, the group has not only done a lot for Android widgets in general. Many of the widgets in their own Android apps have also been revised and many completely new widgets have been presented. Now Google is doing it again with the latest feature drop and introducing the battery widget.
It is again a completely flexible widget that works in several different display sizes. What can the widget do? In addition to the battery status of your smartphone, it also provides information about the battery status of connected Bluetooth devices. Which works well, but has a big catch at the start.
First for Pixel phones: New battery widget is a nice idea, but not quite ready yet
As the first colleagues were able to test, no battery statuses from connected Wear OS smartwatches are displayed. Headphones from all manufacturers work well for this. For supported headphones like the Pixel Buds, the widget shows the battery status for the case and also for the individual earbuds.
In any case, Google still has some work to do on connected device support for this widget. But that should be manageable, especially with regard to devices running Wear OS. In any case, the widget is initially only available to a few users because it requires Android 12.1 or 12L. This is not even available for Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro right from the start.
If the requirements are met, the widget is listed in a new item under “Settings Services”. Which we then probably call recruitment services.