Pixel VIPs quietly shows up as an update on Play Store; 'Battery health assistant' also in the works

Google Pixel users are buzzing with news of a surprise Play Store update. An unexpected app called “Pixel VIPs” has begun appearing for many. This comes as whispers continue about a new “Battery health assistance” feature, aiming to help Pixel owners with long-term battery care. These developments suggest Google is steadily enhancing its Pixel ecosystem with user-centric functionalities.

Pixel VIPs arrives silently, but still not functional

Many Pixel owners recently noticed “Pixel VIPs” pop up in their Play Store’s “Pending downloads.” I also went to check my own Pixel 7a, running the latest stable update, and sure enough, it was there. Interestingly, this new app did not appear on a Pixel 8 that is currently on the Android 16 QPR1 Beta 1.1 update.

The Play Store listing for “Pixel VIPs” describes it as a tool to “stay connected to the people who matter most and never miss a moment from them.” Its icon, reminiscent of Google Contacts, features a blue heart. While it appears as a separate app in the Play Store, it functions more as a background service. It does not launch like a typical application.

From what users are reporting, and what we can gather from insights shared by Android Authority earlier, “Pixel VIPs” seems to be working in conjunction with the Google Contacts app. It appears to act as a backend service for a new “Favorite contacts” widget. This widget is designed to centralize information from your most important contacts. It can show recent calls, messages, including those from WhatsApp, location data, and upcoming birthdays. There is even a feature to add notes for up to eight key individuals. Another thing worth noting is that VIPs can also bypass the Do Not Disturb feature, ensuring you never miss critical communication.

Many who have seen the update are reporting that the functionality is not yet live, suggesting a server-side switch is needed to fully enable it. This rollout could be part of an upcoming Pixel Drop, possibly tied to Android 16’s stable release.

“Battery health assistance” on the horizon

While Pixel VIPs quietly crept into users’ phones, Android sleuths over at 9to5Google uncovered evidence of another upcoming feature in Google’s Settings Service code. The strings refer to Battery health assistance — a tool designed to manage long-term battery performance as cells age. The report reveals that Pixel phones will adjust maximum charging voltage in stages between 200 and 1,000 cycles. This tweak aims to stabilize capacity and slow degradation over time.

Officially, Google promises that Pixel 8a and newer devices will retain up to 80 percent capacity for about 1,000 charge cycles. That’s an improvement over older models, which were rated for 800 cycles. With Battery health assistance, the phone may also dynamically tune charging speed based on the adjusted capacity. In practice, you might notice slightly slower top-up times but a longer battery life span across years of use.

According to the teardown, the Pixel 9a will get this setting enabled by default and users won’t be able to switch it off. For older Pixels, there will be a toggle labeled “Use battery health assistance.” Android 16 Beta 4.1 and QPR1 Beta 1 users have yet to see the new menu in Settings > Battery. It may arrive in the next stable update or surface later this year.

As of the current Android 16 Beta 4.1 and QPR1 Beta 1, the “Battery health assistance” setting is not yet visible in the device settings. It remains to be seen if this will be part of the upcoming stable release of Android 16 or a later update. Regardless, both “Pixel VIPs” and the “Battery health assistance” feature highlight Google’s ongoing commitment to improving the user experience and longevity of its Pixel devices.