Remember, active styluses have batteries that need to charge
Since being announced in 2017, Fast Pair has seen numerous additions to its Bluetooth bridging functionality. We learned not too long ago that users would soon be able to locate misplaced or lost Fast Pair accessories even when they’re offline through the Find My Device service. The next big feature making its way to the service may have to do with styluses if we’re to believe new code discovered inside the latest Google Play services update.
The good folks at 9to5Google dug inside the aforementioned Play services update for Wear OS (v23.02.13, available from APK Mirror) to find multiple strings associated with “fast-pair-stylus.” More specifically, these strings highlight three low-battery notifications that should appear to the user when the battery is beginning to dip — something we’re already accustomed to with Bluetooth headphones.
The first is a standard low battery indicator followed by asking the user to “Consider charging soon.” This is followed by another notification when the battery of the stylus has dipped even further, while the last notification is likely for when the stylus is just about to give up, as evidenced by the “Charge now” description associated with the string.
This fits with rumors of a Google-branded stylus launching alongside the Pixel Tablet. What we don’t know at this point is how this stylus would charge itself. As 9to5Google rightly points out, the design of the Pixel Tablet doesn’t give us any clues about wirelessly charging a stylus through NFC as permitted in the USI 2.0 standard.
As per currently available information, the flagship Google tablet will use the same Tensor G2 chipset as seen on the Pixel 7 lineup, in addition to an 11-inch screen. We expect the device to be offered in 128 and 256GB storage configurations. Wi-Fi 6 support is also expected to be onboard. Google has been kind enough to detail the charging dock that would sell alongside the Pixel Tablet in its marketing materials.
Google has previously said it will launch the Pixel Tablet in 2023, though there’s no clear timeline yet.
