Google first launched the Pixel Stand Qi wireless charger back in 2018. Back then, it was a little late in the game. However, Google returned in 2021 with the next-generation wireless charger, the Pixel Stand 2. Google launched it with an increased 23W power output and a cooling fan inside. The wireless charger was doing its job pretty well before the company took it down from the online Google Store very recently.
Google seems to have discontinued the Pixel Stand 2 following the Pixel 9 Pro Fold fiasco
A week ago, some reports confirmed that the Pixel 9 Pro Fold has compatibility issues with the Pixel Stand chargers. This made Google’s 1st-gen and 2nd-gen Pixel Stand unusable with the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. Now, it seems Google has removed the Pixel Stand 2 from the Google Store following the Pixel 9 Pro Fold fiasco.
A Reddit user “sirpaul589” shared a post highlighting the unavailability of the wireless charger on the Google Pixel subreddit. The Redditor added that he visited the Google Store with hopes of buying the wireless charging stand with some discounts. However, the user realized that the “Buy” button for Pixel Stand 2 was gone from the Google Store and a “No longer available” message had replaced it.
Worth noting that the user didn’t find the wireless charger listed for sale on either the US or Canadian Google Store online. Additionally, the Pixel Stand 2 is not available on the online Google Store for Europe and Japan. At the time of writing this, we can also see the same “No longer available” message on the Google Store. So, it is quite obvious that it’s not the case of the charger going out of stock, rather it seems Google has discontinued it.
Google acknowledged the Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s compatibility issue with its wireless chargers
Google updated its support documentation to acknowledge the compatibility issue once it came to light. It stated that its beefiest foldable doesn’t support charging via the Pixel Stand or the Pixel Stand 2. The company added that the placement of the wireless charging coil on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is the problem.
Apparently, the latest foldable doesn’t have a center-aligned wireless charging coil making the wireless chargers unusable. It is still possible that the unavailability of the Pixel Stand 2 is unrelated to the Pixel 9 Pro Fold fiasco. We still await Google’s statement in this matter. But, one thing is sure, it has made Pixel 9 Pro Fold owners look for third-party wireless chargers.
