PSA: Yes, you can charge your Pixel Buds with the Pixel Watch charger

Damien Wilde | Oct 24 2022 - 4:00 am PT

Annoyingly you can’t charge the Pixel Watch using your phone or another Qi charger, but we have some good news. Did you know that you can use the Pixel Watch charger to top up the Pixel Buds or Pixel Buds Pro? Yes, it actually works.

Wireless charging comes in a number of guises, and while the Pixel Watch uses a form of wire-free charging, it only works with the in-the-box magnetic charging puck. In complete contrast, the 2020 Pixel Buds and Pixel Buds Pro can be topped up using reverse wireless charging on your phone and just about any Qi wireless charging dock or station.

Interestingly, the Pixel Watch charger is also capable of topping up the Pixel Buds and Buds Pro too. Nowhere in Google’s marketing materials or spec sheets is this listed. It’s a little like the lesser-known trick that means you can effectively place the Pixel Buds A-series to any magnetic surface.

After visiting my parents, I forgot my regular USB-C charge cable, which was even more annoying when I wound up with a dead pair of Pixel Buds Pro following a train journey. Luckily, I had packed my Pixel Watch charger so I decided to try putting the earbuds on the puck. To my surprise, after a few seconds, the case light powered on to indicate that my earbuds were indeed charging.

PSA: You can charge the Pixel Buds with the Pixel Watch charger. pic.twitter.com/1vi8yjyAQZ
— Damien Wilde (@iamdamienwilde) October 24, 2022

Given that the Pixel Watch will incorrectly indicate charging on certain Qi pads, I decided to leave my dead Pixel Buds for a little while to see if this was legit. Even after making it home, I thought this could be a fluke. So for the past couple of days, I’ve tested it multiple times. On every occasion, my earbuds and case are taking and holding a charge just fine.

Here’s the short story: It turns out that, yes, you can charge the Pixel Buds or Pixel Buds Pro using the Pixel Watch charger.

Because the Pixel Watch charger puck is magnetic, it’ll also stick to the back of your earbuds. You may need to adjust slightly, as the concave shape that is designed for the back of the Pixel Watch doesn’t sit perfectly with the Pixel Buds. That said, once placed, the charge light indicator will begin to flash, and, voila, your favorite earbuds are now getting a little bit of extra juice.

Obviously, the lack of Qi wireless charging on the Pixel Buds A-series means that you’re out of luck when using the affordable earbuds. However, if you do have the excellent Pixel Buds Pro or the discontinued Pixel Buds (2020) and don’t have a dedicated wireless charger, this is a great dual-purpose alternative.