Google’s Pixel 9 isn’t quite ready to take advantage of magnetic perks of Qi 2 wireless charging. But you can still hack your way to MagSafe convenience on it.
One of the biggest upgrades that Google delivers with the Pixel 9 series is faster charging speeds across the board, bringing them in the same ballpark as Samsung’s best and significantly ahead of the latest iPhones. Yes, wireless charging and reverse power share are also on board.
But will these phones stick to wireless chargers, just the way MagSafe-enabled iPhones do? Technically, the answer is yes. Officially, it’s no. There is no MagSafe support on the Pixel 9 series smartphones, and that’s because MagSafe is Apple’s own proprietary tech. But the underlying magnetic power transfer tech can still be hacked into the Pixel 9.The MagSafe situation on the Pixel 9
MagSafe is essentially a wireless power transfer system with the addition of magnetic hardware. Now, the magnets aren’t there to play any role in the transfer of electric power across two surfaces in contact. Instead, the magnet is only there to hold the device and the charging pad in place.
So far, a magnet-assisted wireless charging system has remained exclusive to Apple’s hardware because Apple developed the MagSafe system in-house. However, the company worked with the Wireless Power Consortium to develop the Qi 2 wireless charging standard, which notably adds support for the Magnetic Power Profile.
That means all Qi 2-certified hardware can use a system of magnets to assist with the wireless charging process, which also happens to be faster compared to the Qi standard.
