Pixel 10 says goodbye to reverse charging in favor of Qi2 magnets

What you need to know

• Pixel 10 series supports Qi2 wireless charging but removes reverse charging feature.
• Google says due to built-in magnets, the Battery Share feature isn't available on Pixel 10 phones.
• HMD Skyline supports reverse charging despite also having Qi2 magnets.

One of the highlighting features on the new Google Pixel 10 phones is (finally) support for native Qi2 wireless charging. However, it looks like it comes at a cost, as Google seems to have removed reverse wireless charging from the Pixel 10 phones.

Google, in a statement to Droidreader, confirmed that the Pixel 10 series no longer ships with the Battery Share feature. Battery Share is what Google called reverse wireless charging on Pixel phones, and the company confirmed that due to a "physical limitation," Battery Share isn't "currently" available on the Pixel 10 series.

That "physical limitation" is the "array of magnets," according to Google. The statement says the magnets create a strong connection, but prevent Battery Share from working on the Pixel 10. The company added that while the feature isn't "currently" available, it is "exploring future innovations" to improve the Pixel experience.

Blame the magnets

Battery Share has been a feature on Pixel phones since the launch of the Pixel 5 in October 2020. It allowed users to wirelessly charge other devices, such as earbuds or even other phones, by placing them on the back of the Pixel. And even though it provided only slow 5W wireless charging, it was handy in critical situations for a lot of users.

It now looks like Google has removed the feature entirely. The Pixel 10 specs page doesn't list Battery Share, and the company's statement confirmed the change.

What's puzzling is that the only other Qi2-certified phone, the HMD Skyline, still supports 5W reverse wireless charging despite also having magnets on the back. It could be a limitation of the new Qi 2.2.1 standard that Google is likely using for the Pixel 10, but considering Apple is expected to bring reverse charging to the iPhone 17 series, it seems unlikely.

Well, for now, the feature seems to have been dropped.