PSA: Canceling your Pixel 10 pre-order could cost you your existing Google One subscription

Google’s Pixel 10 devices can be fairly tempting, especially for the new Pixelsnap charging, the new Tensor chipset, or the AI features currently exclusive to the phones. And to make the Pixel 10 even more attractive, Google is adding exciting pre-order deals that give you a year-long subscription to Google AI Pro and a complimentary 2TB storage with Google One. Google has also thought about people who have those subscriptions already and is offering additional store credits or vouchers to refund any advance payments. However, if you decide to cancel your pre-order, you could run into an issue with the subscription that requires active vigilance.

People who had pre-ordered the Pixel 10 and later decided to cancel or modify their orders are losing access to their Google One and Google AI Pro subscriptions if they previously subscribed to these services. A recent Reddit thread highlights this issue, putting forth the need for a better mechanism from Google.

Many replies echo the anguish of the original poster, taskforcetom, after suffering from the same issue. It’s more than a mere fumble on Google’s part, which clearly notes the same in its terms. As per the support document highlighting Pixel 10 pre-order offers, Google notes, “your trial starts immediately and your existing plan is cancelled.”

It’s noteworthy that your one-year trial for those services starts the moment you place your order — and not when you activate your new Pixel 10 device. By doing so, Google appears to have overlooked that some people might want to cancel their pre-bookings after placing the order.

Additionally, if you plan to buy another Pixel 10 after canceling your first order, you may not be eligible for the extra perks. This is because these benefits are limited to one order per customer. One of the comments on the Reddit post said they were able to get the customer support to assure them the benefits would be reclaimed after they activate their Pixel, but it would require them to “jump through some hoops again.”

So if you’re planning to get the Pixel 10, you might want to be sure about having the phone and avoid any second thoughts. If you’re still just exploring the options and have preordered one of the new phones just so you don’t miss out on the early bird offerings, beware that you will have to reconfirm payment options for your Google One or AI Pro subscriptions if you choose to cancel your order.

In addition to the discomfort, many responders on the post have said that Google’s customer support hasn’t proven to be useful in cases like these. I wouldn’t expect them to either, especially since the terms have been laid out clearly. However, it would have been nice to see Google come up with a better way to account for such scenarios without making initial backers — of all the people — go through the ordeal.

So, whatever you decide, ensure that you are aware of the repurcussions.