In short: Google is likely to be launching a program that will allow future owners of the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL to create and order custom protective cases for their Android flagships. The service will be called “Google My Case,” according to newly published intellectual property documentation reviewed by AndroidHeadlines. The specifics of the solution remain vague, though the program is expected to be announced alongside the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL later today.
Background: Last year, Google offered a handful of protective case variants for the Pixel 2-series devices, most of which matched the colors of its 2017 flagships. While the upcoming handsets already leaked in an uncharacteristically extensive manner, not a lot of information about their cases emerged online so far. A U.S. Target store started selling one of those accessories prematurely several days back, though the leaked product didn’t appear to be unique in any way, save for its color. The smartphones themselves are expected to launch in black, white, and light pink. Last week, AndroidHeadlines exclusively shared the first and only clear look at the lattermost Pixel 3 variants which are rumored to be advertised as either “Sand” or “Not Pink.”
Impact: The Google My Case initiative is unlikely to be touted as a major selling point of the new devices but it should help the company with customer engagement in a unique way seeing how most manufacturers generally steer clear of such programs due to logistics concerns and stick with mass-produced first-party accessories. Still, logistics is precisely what caused notorious problems for Google over the last two years, with many models of both the Pixel and Pixel 2-series smartphones being weeks late to ship to customers, as were their pre-order bonuses. Whether the company learned its production and distribution lesson remains to be seen but more details will surely follow shortly given how its annual hardware event is starting in Paris in less than three hours, being scheduled to start at 8 AM PT.
