The December 2025 Pixel Feature Drop arrived last week with a host of new AI capabilities and the usual bug fixes, but for Pixel 10 and Pixel 10 Pro owners, it seems to have delivered a frustrating regression. According to a growing number of user reports, the update has effectively “killed” compatibility between the Pixel 10 series and the Pixel Stand (Gen 2), rendering the expensive accessory useless for many who had been using it without issue since launch.
When the Pixel 10 series launched earlier this year with the new magnetic “Pixelsnap” (Qi2) standard, Google’s official documentation noted that the older Pixel Stand (Gen 1 and Gen 2) was not officially compatible with the new devices due to shifts in charging coil alignment to accommodate the new magnets.
However, real-world usage told a different story. From launch day until yesterday, many Pixel 10 and 10 Pro owners reported that the Pixel Stand 2 worked perfectly fine, charging their devices reliably, albeit sometimes requiring precise placement.
That “grace period” appears to be over. Following the December 2025 update (and the QPR2 Beta for some), users are reporting that their phones no longer charge on the stand.
The behavior is consistent across reports. Upon placing a Pixel 10 Pro on the stand, the phone initially recognizes the charger, but then immediately stops. The Pixel Stand’s LED indicator then begins flashing orange or white, a signal typically reserved for alignment errors or foreign object detection.
“Updated yesterday and now the phone will not charge and the light on the stand keeps blinking red,” wrote one user. “Keeps going back and forth between recognizing the charge and then dropping the charge.”
Troubleshooting steps recommended by Google Support, including factory resetting the device and reinstalling the Pixel Stand app, have reportedly failed to resolve the issue.
Interestingly, the problem seems linked to increased sensitivity in the charging handshake or Foreign Object Detection (FOD) algorithms liekly introduced in the new software. Several users have found that removing their case allows the Pixel Stand to work again, even if the same case worked perfectly prior to the update.
“I have a case with magnet (spigen air – or something like that) and it does work with that case removed, but as others have said, this issue was not happening with this case before the December update.”
This suggests that the update may have tightened the tolerances for wireless charging efficiency. Since the Pixel 10’s coils are slightly different to support Qi2/Pixelsnap, the added distance of a case, which was previously within the margin of error, is now triggering a safety stop.
The timing has left some users wondering if this is a deliberate move to push Google’s new magnetic Pixelsnap chargers.
The issue appears isolated to the Pixel 10 series. Owners of the Pixel 9 and older devices report that their Pixel Stands are still functioning correctly after the December update. This specificity has fueled theories that the software was tweaked to strictly enforce the “incompatibility” warnings Google issued at launch.
“Is this to force people to buy the Pixel Snap?” asked one user, echoing the sentiment that a software update has potentially turned a $79 accessory into “e-waste.”
While it is technically true that Google never officially promised Pixel Stand support for the Pixel 10, disabling a function that was working for months is a surefire way to irritate loyal customers. It is likely that this is an unintended side-effect of safety tweaks made to the Qi2 charging profiles in the December update, rather than a malicious “kill switch.”
However, until Google acknowledges the change or reverts the sensitivity thresholds, Pixel 10 owners relying on their trusty Pixel Stands for overnight charging may need to wake up to a different solution. Or at least take their cases off before bed.
Do you have a Pixel 10 and a Pixel Stand? Let us know in the comments if yours survived the December update.
Hillary Keverenge
2472 Posts
Tech has been my playground for over a decade. While the Android journey began early, it truly took flight with the revolutionary Lollipop update. Since then, it's been a parade of Android devices (with a sprinkle of iOS), culminating in a mostly happy marriage with Google's smart home ecosystem. Expect insightful articles and explorations of the ever-evolving world of Android and Google products coupled with occasional rants on the Nest smart home ecosystem.