Google made a puzzling decision with the Pixel 9

By Bryan M. Wolfe Updated September 4, 2024

A person holding the Google Pixel 9 Pro. — Google Pixel 9 Pro Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Google’s Pixel devices have supported Battery Share for a while, allowing you to wirelessly charge other devices and accessories using a supported phone. Previously, you could perform this task while also charging your phone while it was plugged in. However, with the release of the Google Pixel 9 series, you can no longer do so.

As Android Police has discovered, a new Google support page explains that Battery Share automatically turns off whenever your Pixel 9 is plugged into a wired charger. This means you can no longer charge your phone and accessories simultaneously. Though Google hasn’t confirmed why, this change has probably been made to reduce heat and increase the lifespan of the phone’s battery.

Interestingly, previous Pixels automatically turned on Battery Share whenever you began charging your phone, saving you a step by not having to enable it in the settings app manually. Conversely, on those phones, Battery Share is turned off soon after if you aren’t charging an accessory.

This change is not significant, particularly because using Battery Share while charging your phone reduces the overall charging speed. Additionally, many reviewers have mentioned that this year’s Pixels have improved battery efficiency, so you’ll spend less time charging your devices anyway. It will be interesting to see if a future software update will deactivate this feature on older Pixel models like the Pixel 8 Pro.

The Google Pixel 9 series includes four phones: the base Pixel 9 and the three Pro models — the Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, and Pixel 9 Pro Fold.

The Pixel 5 was the first Pixel phone to support Battery Share (reverse wireless charging). Interestingly, the all-new Pixel 9 Pro Fold, like the Pixel Fold before it, doesn’t support Battery Share in any capacity.

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Bryan M. Wolfe has over a decade of experience as a technology writer. He writes about mobile.

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