Android 11 can tell you when your Pixel 4 isn’t placed correctly on a wireless charger

Google is reportedly adding a useful new feature in Android 11, which will let you know when your phone isn’t properly aligned on a wireless charging pad. The feature is the latest new trick discovered in Android 11 after Google released the first developer preview last month. Other new features have already been found ahead of Android 11’s full release later this year. The charging notification was first spotted by Reddit user jotafett and was reported on by 9to5Google.

9to5Google’s tests found that this feature works only on the Google Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL right now, with no success when tested on a Pixel 3 XL running Android 11. Given that the beta is in such early stages and the list of devices it can be installed on is rather limited, it’s not clear whether this will be limited to just Google’s newest phones or if it’ll be available to older devices as well.

As seen in 9to5Google’s screenshot, the phone will now display a warning at the bottom of the screen to “realign phone to charge wirelessly” when placed incorrectly on a wireless pad. It’s even in a red font to help grab your attention.

Photo: 9to5Google

It’s unclear how the Android 11 detects when a phone is not properly situated on a charging pad, though it may have something to do with the coil alignment between the wireless charger and the coils on your smartphone.