Google's Pixel 5 Automatically Transforms Into A Qi Wireless Charging Pad With Via USB-C
Battery Share can be manually enabled by heading to Settings -> Battery -> Battery Share, which isn't that much of a revelation, and is similar to functionality in other Android smartphones. However, Google is taking Power Share one step further by automatically turning it on when you plug your Pixel 5 in to a USB-C power adapter (or port on your computer). Google's newly updated support page (first spotted by 9to5Google) mentions this new feature, stating:
When your Pixel phone is plugged in and charging, Battery Share turns on automatically for a short period. If your phone doesn’t sense another device using its power during that time, Battery Share turns off.
Google doesn't indicate how long the feature remains activated before shutting off, but we'd have to imagine that leaving it enabled for a long period of time could lead to increased power draw and possible problems with heat output (which is never good for your smartphone).
An easy benefit that we could see for this feature would be plugging in your Pixel 5 and then having it immediately serve as a Qi charger for your Pixel Buds, or perhaps your spouse's Apple AirPods Pro in a pinch (since iPhones inexplicably don't support reverse wireless charging).
In other Pixel 5 news, Google responded this week to user complaints that there are uneven gaps between the body and the display. According to Google, this is totally normal and doesn't have any effect on the function of the device or its water/dust resistance. You can read our review of the Pixel 5 right here.
