The cycle count is the odometer of your phone battery. It tells you how much use the battery has had, and with the health percentage it tells you how much life is left. Some Android phones show it in Settings, many do not. Here is where to look on each brand and what the number means.
What is a battery cycle?
One charge cycle is 100% of the battery's capacity used in total, not one trip to the charger. Using 50% today and 50% tomorrow adds up to one cycle. Two short top-ups from 60 to 85% count as half a cycle. So a phone you plug in three times a day does not rack up three cycles a day; it might be using one.
Lithium-ion batteries lose a little capacity with every cycle. Manufacturers rate their batteries for a number of cycles before they fall to about 80% of their original capacity. Google, for example, says Pixel 8a and later phones keep up to 80% capacity for about 1,000 cycles, and Pixel 3 to Pixel 8 Pro for about 800. Many current phones are rated for 800 to 1,600 cycles, depending on the brand and battery chemistry.
Where to find the cycle count on your phone
Android itself only recently started passing a cycle count to apps (from Android 14, where the phone's hardware reports one), and each manufacturer decides whether to show it in Settings. Here is what is confirmed today:
Google Pixel (Pixel 8a and later)
- Open Settings.
- Tap About phone.
- Tap Battery information to see the cycle count, manufacture date and date of first use.
Google only enables this page on Pixel 8a and newer. Older Pixels do not show a cycle count. Full steps in our Pixel battery health guide.
Samsung Galaxy (some models and regions)
- Open Settings.
- Tap Battery.
- Tap Battery information, if you see it, to find Battery cycle count and Battery health.
This page arrived with the Galaxy S25 on One UI 7 and depends on model, region and One UI version. If it is missing, use Samsung Members diagnostics instead. See our Samsung battery health guide.
Motorola (some models)
- Open Settings.
- Tap Battery.
- Tap Battery info to see battery health, manufacture date, first-use date and charging cycle count.
Motorola notes the feature is not available in all countries, and not every model has it. More in our Motorola guide.
Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO
Some newer Xiaomi phones show battery details, including cycles, but Xiaomi only says "if your phone supports the Battery Health feature" and publishes no model list. A hidden menu reached with a dialer code is widely shared online, but it is unofficial and its fields vary by model. Our Xiaomi guide explains both. Note that Xiaomi says a brand-new phone may already show a few cycles from factory testing.
OnePlus, OPPO, realme and vivo
OPPO, realme and vivo show a maximum capacity percentage on supported models, and OnePlus has a Battery health page for its charging settings, but none of the four officially documents a cycle count in Settings. vivo states plainly that the number of charge cycles cannot be checked. See our guides for OnePlus, OPPO, realme and vivo.
What your cycle count means
- Under 300 cycles: a young battery. Health should be high, usually 90% or more.
- 300 to 800 cycles: normal mid-life. Some capacity loss is expected; how much depends on heat and charging habits.
- Around the rated count (often 800 to 1,600): the battery is near the point where the maker expects about 80% capacity. Watch the health percentage and battery life.
The cycle count on its own does not tell you the battery is worn. A phone kept cool and charged between 20 and 80% can be healthier at 600 cycles than a phone that lives hot and full at 300. Always read the cycle count together with the health or capacity figure. Our guide on when to replace a phone battery puts the two together.
How to slow the count down
- Avoid running the phone all the way down and back up. Partial charges are gentler. Read the 20-80 rule.
- Keep it cool. Heat does more damage per cycle than anything else. See why your phone gets hot while charging.
- Cut wasted drain so you need fewer cycles at all. See why your battery drains fast.
If your phone does not show a cycle count
bCare's battery health score shows full charge cycles on the Health screen. Where Android reports a cycle count, bCare uses it; on phones that do not, it estimates cycles from your charging history. It also measures your battery's real capacity in mAh from normal 20 to 80% charges and compares it with the design capacity, so you get the two numbers that matter, side by side, on any Android phone. Health monitoring is free for the first 7 days.