Google is leaving the Pixel Fold out of yet another crucial feature

In a move that can only be described as a slap in the face to those who’ve shelled out $1,800 for Google’s finest foldable, the Pixel Fold continues to be relegated to Android’s bargain bin when it comes to features. According to reports, the Pixel Fold will not support the upcoming “Powered Off Finding” feature for offline tracking. The feature is expected to debut with the Pixel 9 and Android 15 later this year.

The Pixel fold might share the same powerful Tensor G2 chip as the Pixel 7 series, which recently received Google’s Circle to Search feature. But logic flies out the window at Google HQ, because for some inexplicable reason, the Fold gets the same cold shoulder as the pocketable Pixel 7a.

And now, like a parent playing favorites, it seems the Pixel Fold is getting the short end of the stick yet again. Through Android Police, Mishaal Rahman has brought the latest indignity to light: Google’s upcoming “Powered Off Finding” for Android 15 won’t support the Pixel Fold. This means if you misplace your Fold (or it gets swiped – hey, accidents happen), tough luck tracking it down like you would an iPhone. Your $1,800 smartphone just doesn’t get the same luxury as the Pixel 8 lineup, which will apparently be able to broadcast its location even when powered off.

Sure, your ridiculously expensive Pixel Fold getting left out of the offline tracking feature could be down to hardware limitations, but the irony is almost too much when it comes to the Circle to Search function. The Pixel 7 and 7 Pro – which share the same Tensor G2 chip – received the feature yet the Fold and even the Pixel 7a missed out for some reason. Still, for a feature of such great importance to be left out of the company’s most expensive smartphone yet is ludicrous. Perhaps Google assumes most Fold owners probably won’t lose (or misplace, or whatever) their ultra-premium devices? Or maybe someone in the Pixel division just really dislikes folded phones?

Whatever the reason, this is a classic “one step forward, two steps back” move from Google. They give us an incredible device, then hamstring it with feature inconsistencies that leave Pixel Fold fans scratching their heads and muttering expletives. Here’s hoping Google reconsiders this bizarre decision, because as it stands, Pixel Fold owners are getting a raw deal.