Android 11‘s Developer Preview was released a day ago, and its hidden code reveals a probable key feature for the next-gen Pixel 5. The phone’s launch is still far away, but the latest code suggests that the Pixel 5 will support reverse wireless charging. For those uninformed, this feature will facilitate users to charge other compatible devices by arranging them on the back panel of the Pixel 5. The phone should launch sometime in October, as traditionally Google is known to host its annual Pixel hardware event during that time every year.
XDA Developer’s Mishaal Rahman spotted this feature inside the code of the first Android 11 Developer Preview rolled out just a day ago. He was digging around the Android 11 system dump for the Pixel 4, wherein he noticed a new Battery Share feature inside SettingsGoogle. Upon launching the new feature, he realized that this is nothing but Google’s version of reverse wireless charging.
Rahman has also shared a screenshot that shows the ‘Battery Share’ feature inside the code, and there’s a warning that reads, “Your phone’s battery will run out faster when using Battery Share.” The screenshot also reveals that the Battery Share feature will not only work with phones, but will also be compatible with earbuds, watches, and more. This could mean that the feature will work with Qi-compatible accessories and smartphones.
Rahman records that the enterprise name was introduced with “com.google.android” rather than “com.android”. This suggests that this Battery Share characteristic is possible a Google phone feature and not an AOSP one. Given that reverse wireless charging is a flagship-exclusive characteristic, it can be hypothesized that the Pixel 5 could be the first to get it. Of course, all of this should be taken with a grain of salt, as Google may have set nothing in stone for now. More Pixel 5 phone details should leak in the coming months, as the launch period nears.
