While some Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL owners have been experiencing overheating issues recently, there are also apparently a bunch of others who can’t even get their Pixel 2 XL to charge properly because of cold temperatures. The battery inside the phone seems to be a big problem basically, whether it’s too hot or too cold.
The concern initially came to light via Google’s Pixel User Community where one member was trying to figure out why the stock rapid charger which came with his Pixel 2 XL was fueling the handset so slowly. Many others shared his concerns, with some claiming it took 5 hours for a full charge.
It took a while, but eventually one particular user named Krzysztof Borczuch hit the nail upon the head. According to him, the Pixel 2 XL’s charging is dependent on the battery temperature. If it’s below 20°C, then the device would charge at roughly 750mA. If the temperature was about 22°C – 23°C, the charger would shoot up to 3A.
He then recommended that anyone suffering from the problem should try warming up their Pixel 2 XL before plugging it in. This could involve something as simple as holding it in their hands or playing around with AR stickers. His advice appears to have worked based on the responses he got.
Android Police did its own round of extensive testing and came to the same conclusion as well. It also pointed out that the Pixel 2 XL shows the ‘Charging rapidly’ notification even when the phone’s clearly not doing that at low temperatures. This is very misleading since owners wouldn’t know something is wrong.
Also Read: Google Pixel 2 owners reporting battery drain, overheating issues
Some have suggested that the smartphone exhibits this behavior as a way to protect the battery since charging it at freezing temperatures could damage its performance. The threshold is typically fixed at 10°C though, so 20°C is a bit too high. Google is currently investigating the problem, so we’ll hopefully see some solutions sooner rather than later.