Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Waiting on a Google Pixel? Verizon may treat you to a free Daydream View

Google Daydream View
Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends
Google is having a very good problem — orders of its new phone, the Pixel and Pixel XL, are “exceeding expectations,” a Google spokesperson recently told Digital Trends. But that also means angry customers that have been waiting weeks if not months to receive their Google smartphone.

Verizon is stepping up to the plate to keep customers happy. Big Red is offering a free Daydream View headset to Pixel customers that have not received a device yet due to shipment delays. The Daydream View headset is a virtual reality headset used to jump into Google’s Daydream VR platform. It only works with the Moto Z and the Pixel smartphones.

The headset retails at $80, though there’s a temporary price cut that brings the price down to $50 — this deal lasts until February 25.

A Verizon spokesperson told Digital Trends the free headset offer only applies to a “certain subset” of people who have experienced an abnormal shipment delay period. Verizon is offering the headset as a “thank you” for customers staying loyal and not canceling their orders.

The carrier says while the product is back-ordered on its website, there’s a “rolling inventory” and the product gets shipped out as soon as it comes in. Verizon couldn’t comment on sales numbers, but the representative said it’s safe to say that the Pixel is “very popular.”

An erroneous email from Telus, a Canadian carrier, suggested Google had ceased production of the Pixel, but it turned out to be false.

“We’re really excited by the demand for the Pixel XL in Canada,” a Google spokesperson told Digital Trends. “Telus is currently out of stock of the Pixel XL. We’re working with our partners to restock inventory across our retail channels and we can confirm that production of the Pixel has not stopped.”

While high demand is a good, shipment delays three months after the product was released may put people off from purchasing the phone.

Editors' Recommendations

Julian Chokkattu
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Julian is the mobile and wearables editor at Digital Trends, covering smartphones, fitness trackers, smartwatches, and more…
Google is finally fixing an annoying issue with its Pixel phones
A person holding the Google Pixel 8, showing the back of the phone.

When Android 7.0 Nougat arrived in 2016, Google introduced a new seamless update system that allowed users to keep using their devices while the update was installed in the background. Down the road, Google made it mandatory for all smartphone makers, and it's most prevalent on Google's own Pixel smartphones. But the system was not without its fault — even on the latest Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro devices.

Now, it seems like the latest Android 14 QPR update has considerably sped things up and fixed problems plaguing the whole update pipeline. What are seamless updates, though? It involves an A/B disk partition strategy, which ensures that you can keep using your phone while an update is installed in the background.  The only time you'll notice something's up is when it reboots to switch to the updated version. After an update, rebooting your device is just as fast as a normal restart without much extra waiting.

Read more
There’s something about the Google Pixel 8 that worries me
A person holding the Google Pixel 8.

Google released the next generation of Pixel devices recently, including the Google Pixel 8 and Google Pixel 8 Pro. These have been the best Pixel smartphones in a while, as they pack the improved Tensor G3 chip inside, better cameras, brighter displays, and more — all in a slightly updated design. I've been using the phones for a couple of weeks now, and I really like what Google's done with them.

But Google also added some more photo editing capabilities to the Pixel 8 lineup, with a heavy reliance on AI with the Tensor G3 chip. While these AI-heavy editing tools can help you chase perfection, they shouldn’t be relied on too heavily or abused.
The Pixel 8's AI tools are impressive ...
Magic Editor on the Google Pixel 8 Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends.

Read more
I took these pictures with the Google Pixel 8, but you won’t believe me
A person holding the Google Pixel 8, showing the back of the phone.

This time last week I was a bit stuck. The Google Pixel 8 was in my hand, and I wanted to take photos with it. After all, it’s the big selling point of this phone, and it was important to see if it continues the great Pixel tradition of housing a fantastic camera. Except I was feeling rather uninspired and creatively blocked.

Pondering what to do, I just went out and took photos, because I wanted to see what all the software behind the new camera could do to make ordinary pictures something special when I got home. What I found is it takes ordinary photos and turns them into something unbelievable, in both good and bad ways, and it barely makes sense that all this is possible on a phone.
Why the Google Pixel 8's camera is so special

Read more