Here’s how to easily turn the Pixel 5 into a wireless charger
We’ve known since launch that the Pixel 5 supports reverse wireless charging, however it’s now come to light that using the phone as a wireless charger is easier than many thought.
To set the Pixel 5 up in reverse charging mode (or Battery Share as Google calls it), you need to stroll through the quick settings menu and manually enable it. You’d have to do the same thing the next time you wanted to use it too, as, for obvious battery saving reasons, the feature was not enabled all the time.
However, 9to5Mac has reported on a handy trick that could make the feature far more useful and reliable. It seems as though every time you plug the Pixel 5 in to charge, the Battery Share feature perks into life, turns itself on and looks for something to charge. Now you’ve got your phone charging via USB-C and, for instance, a pair of Pixel Buds juicing up on top.
On a support page for the Battery Share feature, Google states that if no other device is sensed to be using the wireless charging feature then it’ll automatically turn off again. This is clever, and very handy for those times you only happen to have one charger with you.
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The same support page also goes into more detail on situations where the reverse wireless charging feature will turn itself off. These include when the Pixel 5 itself is charging via a Qi pad, when the receiving device is fully charged, when it reaches a certain high temperature or when it senses that wireless charging isn’t working well – highlighting the use of an overly thick case or bad placement. The feature also turns off when battery saver mode is enabled, which makes a lot of sense.
In our recent Pixel 5 review we said, “For £599 (or $699) the Pixel 5 is a surprisingly excellent deal, especially for those who desire a smaller phone and put camera prowess over gaming performance.”