Google Pixel 6 users have got yet another headache on their hands, and this one involves the phone refusing to charge when plugged into a third-party USB-C cable or adapter, especially those that happen to be cheaper and sell by bucketloads online. Since the launch of Pixel 6 and its Pro siblings, users have been complaining about one issue after another.
In no particular order, the Magic Eraser feature mysteriously vanished after a Google misstep but was soon fixed. Then there were complaints about slow and unreliable fingerprint scanning experience, something that Google initially called a security step but eventually promised to speed things up. Soon after, Google also clarified the situation around wired charging speeds, which many had presumed to be 3oW based on the peak wattage of the power brick. And the most infuriating one of them all was the ghost-dialing issue, which made the Google Assistant automatically call random contacts at odd hours. This problem was subsequently addressed as well. Now, another charging-related fiasco is brewing.
9to5Google spotted a complaint on the official Google support forum. A Pixel 6 user raged about how the phone simply won't charge with any cable or power brick in his home, except for Google's own charging brick it sells separately and the bundled USB-C cable. The miffed user eventually had to invest about 100 GBP (roughly $130) on USB-PD (Power Delivery) certified cables to get the charging situation fixed. The issue is not limited to USB-C cables only, as the Pixel 6 refuses to play ball with an extensive range of third-party chargers as well. And even adapters with the requisite power rating (or even higher output) won't juice up the Pixel 6 battery at its peak fast charging pace if they have a USB-A port.
Yet Another Pixel 6 Woe
In most cases, plugging in a third-party cable simply won't show the active charging status as the phone fails to recognize it. And even if a cable with a USB-A bus on one side manages to get recognized by the Google phone, the charging speed is excruciatingly slow. For example, it took one user's Pixel 6 Pro about seven hours to go from 50 percent to 80 percent while using a cable that is not certified for fast charging. On the other hand, using the same 'faulty' cable worked as intended with other phones and accomplished fast charging too.
After looking at the grievances of Pixel 6 users across the official Google support forum, Reddit and Twitter, it appears that the best way to go forward is buying a USB-C to USB-C cable. Especially one that has been certified for USB-PD (Power Delivery) charging. Another fine print that readers should know is checking the generation interface, which should ideally be adherent to the USB v3.1 Gen 1 standard, just to be on the safe side. Even Quick Charge standard chargers appear to be failing, but it is unclear if it has anything to do with chip compatibility as Quick Charge is Qualcomm's creation, given the fact that Google's latest phones pack the in-house Tensor chip.
Sources: Google Support, Twitter, Reddit