Google may launch the Pixel 3 series of Android flagships alongside a wireless charger called the “Pixel Stand,” as indicated by a teardown of the newest beta build of the Google app – version 8.14. XDA Developers reports the “Pixel Stand” moniker is specifically referenced in the code of the Android app and is apparently meant to denote an accessory that will feature a degree of Google Assistant integration. The company’s artificial intelligence helper will hence be fully operational when it recognizes that its host device is docked, even if the Pixel handset in question is locked.
With the name of that particular string being “trusted_dock,” it’s likely that users will be able to mark their charger as a trusted device. Another portion of the app’s code suggests the Pixel Stand could be set up in a way that automatically launches Google Assistant once the Pixel 3 or Pixel 3 XL is docked, with the source speculating this may also imply some sort of smart display functionality instead of the traditional interface which wasn’t designed to be used when a supported handset isn’t held in hand.
The possibility of the Pixel 3 smartphone lineup supporting wireless charging has already been raised following a teardown of one developer preview build of Android P which referenced a range of “dreamliner” devices and suggested the product category in question encompasses wire-free chargers. The same code also indicated that not all such gadgets may necessarily be designed by Google and could instead by third-party accessories eligible to apple for “Made for Google” certification issued as part of a program the company announced in late 2017 alongside the Pixel 2 handsets. Still, the latest beta build of the Google app doesn’t provide a direct connection between the “dreamliner” product category and the Pixel Stand. A number of recent Pixel 3 leaks suggested the upcoming Android handsets will feature a glass back, adding more credence to the possibility of wireless charging support being part of the package. Google‘s upcoming flagships are likely to be announced in early October, together with successors to the Pixelbook and Pixel Buds, as well as new Pixel-series smartwatches, industry sources claimed earlier this year.