The simplicity of placing your phone on a charging pad, free from tangled cords, provides a hassle-free method of charging. Some phones not only charge wirelessly, but they can also serve as wireless chargers for other devices. Curious to know how it works?
Wireless power sharing, sometimes referred to as reverse wireless charging, makes use of the wireless charging technology built into your phone. When you activate powering sharing, you're telling your phone to send power out instead of taking it in. Since power sharing is based on the widely used Qi charging standard, you can charge just about any device the supports Qi wireless charging. That includes phones, headphones, smartwatches and more.
Not all phones support power sharing. You'll find the feature on Google Pixel and Samsung phones. For Samsung phones, the feature is called PowerShare, and it is built into models starting with the Galaxy S10. Google started including its Battery Share feature with Pixel 5 (excluding the 6a and 7a).
How to use Battery Share on Google Pixel phones
Power sharing works even when you're using a case. Here's how to use your Pixel to juice up another device.
Step 1. Enable Battery Share in Settings
Swipe down from the top on the Home Screen and tap the gear icon at the bottom to open the Settings app.
Under the settings screen, tap the Battery option and then select Battery Share. You can choose a cutoff point at which your Pixel will stop reverse charging another device – between 10 - 50%. I recommend setting it to 25% to preserve your own Pixel's battery life.
Tap the ON/OFF slider to slide it to the ON position to enable Battery Share.
Step 2. Start sharing power
Make sure to line up your other device on the Pixel's back panel and look to see it's charging – usually a light or onscreen indicator. For instance, the iPhone I used for testing instantly showed the thunderbolt icon, indicating it was charging wirelessly.
Note: Battery Share smartly turns off if your Pixel struggles to spot the device for 30 seconds or faces placement issues.
Read more: Living with the Google Pixel 8 Pro vs 7 Pro: Real World Impressions
How to use PowerShare on Samsung phones
Your Samsung phone must be charged 30% or higher for Wireless PowerShare to work. The feature is automatically disabled if it drops below that.
Step 1. Enable PowerShare in Settings
Go to your phone's Settings. Tap the Battery option and then select the Wireless power sharing option.
When Wireless PowerShare is activated, a blue flashes on your device.
Step 2. Start sharing power
Place your phone and the device you're charging back-to-back, confirm the connection on your Samsung phone's screen and tap OK. The charging light will turn red. Check the notification panel for a charging message and a green Wireless PowerShare icon. Once fully charged, the light turns off.
Read more: How to Find and Recover Recently Deleted Text Messages on Android
Pro tip
While reverse wireless charging effectively transforms your phone into a wireless charging pad, I found it rapidly drains your own phone's battery. So, if you give a quick boost to another device, don't be surprised if your own phone fails to reach the end of the day.
[Image credit: Hemant Saxena/Techlicious]
As a lifelong tech enthusiast, Hemant Saxena is always looking for the latest gadgets that intersect with his hobbies. For more than a decade, he has been writing about consumer gadgets, popular apps, and social media tips for publications, including Windows Club and Techmate Tricks.
