Does the Pixel 4 support wireless charging?

Pixel 4 XL vs. OnePlus 7T
Pixel 4 XL vs. OnePlus 7T (Image credit: Android Central)

Best answer: Yes, the Pixel 4 supports wireless charging. You can place it on any Qi wireless charger to refuel the phone without having to plug in any cables, but if you want fast charging speeds above 5W, you'll need to use a wireless charger that supports the Extended Power Profile standard — also known as EPP.

The Pixel 4 works with all Qi wireless chargers

The Pixel 3 from 2018 was the first phone in Google's Pixel lineup to support wireless charging, and to no one's surprise, the Pixel 4 does, too.

Google's using the Qi standard for wireless charging on the Pixel 4, which is the standard that's quickly become the industry norm. In other words, if you go out to buy a wireless charger to use with the Pixel 4, chances are it's a Qi-enabled one.

Any wireless charger that supports Qi will indicate it on either its packaging or the online product page.

Fast charging speeds are more widespread, but still limited

When the Pixel 3 was released, its wireless charging capabilities came with a weird catch. While it could be used with any Qi charger, it only got fast charging speeds on Google's own Pixel Stand.

Things are better this year, but there's still a catch to be aware of.

In order to achieve wireless charging speeds above 5W, you'll need to use a wireless charger that supports the Extended Power Profile standard — also commonly referred to as EPP. Most new wireless chargers should be outfitted with EPP, but older models likely don't support it.

The official website for the Wireless Power Consortium (the organization that manages the standards for wireless charging) allows you to browse through all of the wireless chargers it's approved, and looking specifically at ones that support EPP, there are currently 319.

Wireless chargers that are EPP-certified should also indicate this somewhere on its online product page or retail packaging, and while it shouldn't be too difficult to find a supported charger, it does add an unnecessary layer of confusion to the user experience.

Joe Maring

Joe Maring was a Senior Editor for Android Central between 2017 and 2021. You can reach him on Twitter at @JoeMaring1.