First Pixel 10 buyers struggle with wireless charging: interruptions and slow speeds

Smartphones Pixel 10 have already begun to arrive to customers, and with that comes the first feedback about problems. Some owners have experienced that their wireless chargers do not work properly with the new Pixel series.

There have been complaints on Reddit that some wireless chargers are not working properly with the Pixel 10. The problems can manifest themselves in different ways. For example, the phone starts charging, but after a few seconds or minutes, the process stops (this applies to both Pixel 10 and Pro and XL). Or on some chargers, the speed is limited to only about 5 watts. In some cases, wireless charging does not work at all.

In our tests, we’ve seen Pixel 10 charging slowly on MagSafe charging (but not Qi2) and older Qi devices, including the second-generation Pixel Stand. This behavior seems to be repeated with most older wireless chargers, although there is no clear explanation yet.

The reason may be in Qi2

A likely explanation is the transition of Pixel 10 to the new Qi2 standard and the use of MPP (Magnetic Power Profile) instead of EPP (Extended Power Profile). EPP supports up to 15 watts of power. At the same time, MPP also supports up to 15 watts, but relies on magnets to accurately align the smartphone while charging. There is no documentation yet to confirm that these profiles are not interchangeable. But similar problems have happened before with other devices.

Charging with a power of 5 watts is, of course, less convenient, but the slower process is even beneficial for the battery’s “health” in certain cases. However, for a user who expects fast charging, this is rather a disappointment.

As for the Pixel Stand, the likely reason for the slower charging is that Google has ported its semi-proprietary fast charging method to Qi2. This means that the previous method that worked with the Pixel Stand is no longer supported.

There is no indication in the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) database for the Pixel 10 of any charging speed limitations with non-Qi2 chargers.

Reddit even has a screenshot of a response from Google support saying that the Pixel 10 only supports Qi2 charging. This creates some difficulties for those who already have multiple wireless chargers.

What to do for Pixel 10 owners

If you’ve already purchased a smartphone of the new Pixel 10 series and hope to use wireless charging extensively, you should check your existing chargers. The results vary from user to user: some old chargers work fine, while others — do not.

If charging works, but slowly — this is also an option, and you can continue to use it. If you are not satisfied with the result, you will have to buy a new charger.

The good news is that there are already a lot of Qi2-compatible devices on the market, and Google is making a big bet on this standard, so the choice will only grow. The safest option is official Qi2 chargers from Google, which are available in two versions.