Wireless charging not working on your Pixel with Android 13? You aren’t alone

Android 13 has been hotly anticipated for months, but following its rollout to Pixel users last Monday, many have been reporting issues with wireless charging. As first spotted by 9to5Google, Pixel owners have been posting their issues to Reddit in hopes of finding a simple community fix, but based on the number of complaints, there seems to be more at work.

While the hope is always that companies like Google will put their best foot forward when launching new software, sometimes new bugs are found after pushing an update globally. If your Pixel is having trouble with wireless charging, don’t worry: you’re not alone.

Recommended Videos

What does the issue look like?

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

Luckily, knowing whether your phone may be experiencing the issue is relatively simple. If you can connect your Pixel to a wireless charger of any kind and get juice from it, your Pixel is in good shape. If not, it looks like you may have the bug.

Some comments on the Reddit posts speculate that it could be the result of a faulty wireless charger instead of Android 13. While some people were able to find success in fixing the issue by tweaking some of their wireless charging station’s settings, others had no such luck.

Which Pixel models are affected?

So far, this seems to be an issue across all Pixel devices. Across Reddit, owners of Pixel 4, 4XL, 6, and 6 Pro have all chimed in to say that they’re experiencing issues. In my search, I didn’t encounter anyone complaining about problems with wireless charging on the Pixel 5, but that’s not to say it isn’t happening on that phone. From what it looks like, just about any Pixel that’s currently running Android 13 may be experiencing the issue.

Possible fixes

If you’ve discovered that your Pixel isn’t able to charge wirelessly, there are a few things you can try to fix the issue. The first, as mentioned above, is taking a look at your wireless charger’s settings. Some users reported that their issues were resolved after clearing the storage and cache for the apps associated with their wireless chargers, specifically the Pixel Stand. After doing that and restarting their devices, some commenters claim to have stopped experiencing the issues. Others, however, were still unable to charge wirelessly, as not all chargers have apps to even clear.

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Another possible solution would be to re-download Android 12 and wait for Google to solve the issue. This isn’t ideal as only the Pixel 4 and 5 are able to go back to Android 12, and even then, it means that users won’t be able to capitalize on all of the new features that come hand-in-hand with the software update. If you have a Pixel 6 or Pixel 6 Pro, you’re unable to roll back to Android 12 if you have Android 13 — meaning this isn’t even an option for you.

The third solution is the least involved but possibly the most frustrating: wait until Google fixes the problem. So far, Google hasn’t responded to the issue in any capacity, so it might be a while until an official fix gets pushed. While the company’s silence could simply be because the issue is still relatively new, Google doesn’t exactly have the best track record when it comes to making quick fixes for its software.

Hopefully, the issue gets resolved soon. Because Google is still working on launching Android 13 to all compatible devices, it’s possible that a fix could be coming relatively quickly since a smooth launch for the software update is crucial for its success.

Editors' Recommendations

A podcast host and journalist, Peter covers mobile news with Digital Trends and gaming news, reviews, and guides for sites…
Google Pixel 9: news, rumored price, release date, and more

The Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro are Google's latest and most powerful devices, but it won't be that way for long. Rumors of the Google Pixel 8a mean this pair of flagships will be supplanted as the latest Google phones fairly soon — but they'll be able to hold on to the title of "most powerful" for a little while longer. The Google Pixel 9 range, while definitely on the way, isn't due to arrive any time soon.

But when it does, it's sure to be a pair of blockbusters. Leaks for the Pixel 9 family are a little thin on the ground at the moment, but it seems as if Google is planning on making some big changes this time around. If leaks are correct, we expect a new look and some exciting new AI features that go beyond what we've seen before.

Read more
5 phones you should buy instead of the Google Pixel 8 Pro

Is the Google Pixel 8 Pro an excellent smartphone? Absolutely! It's quite possibly the best smartphone Google has ever made, and we weren't shy about heaping praise on it in our Google Pixel 8 Pro review. While its battery life isn't anything to write home about, and the temperature sensor is a bit of a whiff, the sheer quality of the camera, gorgeous design, strong specs, and promise of seven years of updates mean it's not a phone to miss out on.

But while the Pixel 8 Pro is a very strong smartphone, it's far from the only choice. In fact, if you're looking at the Pixel 8 Pro right now, there are five other smartphones you should consider buying instead of Google's most expensive flagship.
Google Pixel 8

Read more
Is this cheap Android phone better than the Galaxy S24? I found out

Before I put my SIM card in the Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus, I had seen several reports and YouTube videos claiming it would be a great purchase if you didn’t want to buy an expensive smartphone like the Samsung Galaxy S24 or even the Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max. Wow, I thought: It must be really special. While it's not especially cheap, the latest Redmi phone does look like a good value, at least on paper.

Well, it is quite good, but there’s absolutely no reason to buy it if you can stretch to a more expensive phone. Although it hasn’t been any trouble, I’m itching to switch to a different phone, and it’s one that costs exactly the same amount of money to buy. The reason why isn't to do with the specs as such but to do with life with the phone.
It's not all about the numbers

Read more