What you should know
- Although the Pixel Watch can be charged wirelessly at times, it is not always consistent.
- Although it has been proven to work in many cases, Google confirmed that it does not officially support Qi wireless charging.
- The proprietary charger included with the Pixel Watch will be used by users.
Pre-orders for the Google Pixel Watch began to ship out during launch. The Pixel Watch was received by many people who tested its ability to wirelessly charge on their phones and other devices with reverse wireless charging enabled. It seemed to work for some.
According to The VergeSome RedditorsIt was tested with a Qi compatible wireless charging power bank and caused quite a bit of dismay among the users. The experience was not perfect. Pixel WatchIt appears that Qi is not supported.
Victoria Song, The Verge’s wearable tech critic, tried the same thing with her Pixel Watch. It was accompanied and supported by the Pixel 7 Pro. She used the Android battery-sharing feature and put the Pixel Watch on the back to charge it. It worked for only ten seconds, according to reports.
Song mentioned that the Pixel Watch indicates that the device is charging but that the connection and stability of the charge don’t seem consistent. The same result was seen with a third party Belkin charging dock.
Nils Ahrensmeier, who also tried it, snapped a photograph to show the device charging wirelessly.
They told us it won’t work, well….#madebygoogle pic.twitter.com/GsrcD7NDPCOctober 6, 2022
The Pixel Watch also had a similar experience with the people at 9to5Google. Although the Pixel Watch shows that it’s charging when placed onto Qi-compatible charging pad or devices with reverse wire charging, 9to5 says that the watch is actually charging.
9to5Google was then provided with a statement by Google, confirming that the PixelWatch doesn’t work. Officially support Qi wireless charging:
9to5 was provided with the following statement: “Qi Charging is not supported by the Google Pixel Watch. Some charging configurations may allow reverse wireless or Qi Charging to work. These charging configurations will vary depending on the device and the charger. They may not deliver a constant, steady or strong charge. This could lead to the device being discharged while it is charging. Pixel Watch supports charging only with the provided inbox charger.
This brings back a similar experience we had with the Pixel 6aThe display came with a 60Hz resolution. However, a developer A new mod was createdOfficially, the Pixel 6a can run at a 90Hz refresh speed since it appears that the Pixel 6a has a similar display panel as the Pixel 6.
The charging situation for the Pixel Watch may look amazing to some, but wireless charging is not the best way to charge it, even though it seems you can. Andrew Myrick from Android Central laments that Qi wireless charging is not available in his Android Central review Review of Pixel Watch:
“The only thing that is disappointing about this is the fact that Google used a proprietary wireless charger. Although it’s something I will continue to beat until it becomes the standard, I wish Google had opted for standard Qi wireless charging.“
Unfortunately, until there is a standard for these devices, we must continue to use proprietary chargers on smartwatches and other wearables.
The Pixel Watch is the first Google smartwatch to feature incredible hardware. It comes with Wear OS 3.5 and Fitbit integration.
