One thing you do not expect when updating the software on your smartphone is to lose critical abilities, but it appears that is exactly what is happening for some first generation
Pixel XL owners. Over at Google's Issue Tracker site, Pixel XL owners report a bug in the final version of
Android 9 Pie that is preventing them from fast charging their device.
"I have 4 chargers. 1 is unofficial. 2 is official. 1 was the packaged 6p charger and the other bought from Google Store. None of these work. I either get 'Charging' or 'Charging Slowly'. This never happened before [Android 9] Pie.
I also have a battery backup that no longer fast charges my phone.
The only charger that works is the charger that came with the Pixel," a user complained.
The above post pointed out a bug tracker for this very issue in the beta release of Android 9 Pie. Frustratingly for affected users, the bug tracker was closed, even though the issue appears to not have been resolved with the final build.
Interestingly, the issue seems to only affect the stock charger that ships with the Pixel XL.
"Same issue, Pixel XL charger that came in the box, no more 'charging rapidly' after Pie update. Worked fine on [Android] 8.1. My car charger 2.5A triggers 'charging rapidly'" instantly," another user wrote.
"I am experiencing the same issue. Original charger is not recognized at all. It charges from a laptop or a battery bank, but very slowly," yet another user wrote.
On August 9, Google's developers closed the related bug tracker with "Status: Won't Fix (Infeasible)." However, there is good news for affected users. In the aftermath of all the complaints, the issue has been reopened.
"Thank you for reporting this issue. We’ve shared this with our product and engineering teams who are investigating it further. We will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available," Google wrote.
It is not clear what exactly is causing the issue in Android 9 Pie. There is also no time table on a fix, though hopefully Google figures things out sooner rather than later.