With its new Pixel 10 series, Google is removing support for reverse wireless charging – branded as “Battery Share” – in favor of Qi2 magnetic charging.
Battery Share was first introduced on the Pixel 5 as Google’s name for reverse wireless charging. The feature would allow users to tap on a software toggle and then flip their device over to turn it into a wireless charger for another phone or accessory. For a while, it could even automatically turn on when the device was plugged into a power outlet, though that was oddly removed on the Pixel 9 last year.
Now, the feature is being removed entirely.
If you take a look at Google’s official Pixel 10 specs, you might notice that Battery Share is nowhere to be found despite appearing on last year’s lineup.
So, what happened?
Top comment by Good_ole_pinocchio
Fun and convenient feature but I honestly can't remember when I last used it.
As it turns out, the removal of Battery Share on the Pixel 10 is a direct result of the adoption of Qi2 magnets used for “Pixelsnap” accessories. Google said in a statement to Droidreader that there is a “physical limitation” as a result of the magnets.
The array of magnets creates a strong connection with the charger but presents a physical limitation for reverse wireless charging. While this means Battery Share is not currently available on the Pixel 10, we are constantly exploring future innovations to improve the Pixel experience.
This can likely be overcome in the future, though. While the iPhone also lacks reverse wireless charging today, Apple is apparently pursuing it. The only other Android phone with Qi2 support, the HMD Skyline, also supports 5W reverse wireless charging. It’s possible that newer updates to Qi2 have presented new limitations in this regard – HMD is using the original Qi 2.0.0 standard where Google is likely using Qi 2.2.1.
Did you ever use Battery Share? Will you miss it?
More on Pixel 10:
- Google wasn’t afraid to poke fun at Apple during its confident Pixel 10 event
- Pixel 10’s overdue UFS 4.0 storage upgrade is a big deal, if you buy the right phone
- Pixel 10 has an upgraded screensaver with Pixelsnap chargers – here’s what it can do
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