Facepalm: It is not often that a major OS update removes a key feature from a device, but that seems to be precisely what the freshly released Android 9 Pie has done to Pixel XL phones.

Update (08/14/18): After yesterday's reports of Android 9 breaking the Pixel XL's fast charging capability, Google has issued a statement acknowledging the problem and says it is working on a fix.

"We're aware of an issue where non-Power Delivery (PD) USB-C chargers no longer rapidly charge the 2016 Pixel and Pixel XL after the upgrade to Android 9 Pie. The 18W rapid charger included in-box is a PD charger and does not exhibit this behavior. We are verifying a fix for non-PD USB-C chargers and will roll it out in the coming weeks."

Devs also changed the status and reopened the original Issue Tracker report.

Numerous Pixel XL users have found that the devices quick charging feature no longer works after installing Android 9. Many have reported the bug to Google's Issue Tracker. However, Google appears to be unable to fix the issue. The bug's status is currently closed and listed as "Won't Fix (Infeasible)."

Of course, saying that it won't fix an issue, especially one that permanently removes a feature from a phone that was a key selling point, is unacceptable. Users let Google know this by starting a fresh bug report in the Issue Tracker after the first one was closed. This one's status is listed as "Assigned," so maybe Pixel owners will get some relief.

"Some users have even reported trying to use a number of other cables and chargers, restarting the device, and even performing a factory reset to help fix the issue, but to no avail."

It does not seem that the bug has to do with third-party charging solutions as users report having the problem even when using the high-speed charging cable that came packaged with their Pixel XL.

"I have 4 chargers. 1 is unofficial. 2 is official --- 1 was the packaged 6p charger and the other bought from Google store," reported one Pixel user. "None of these work. I either get 'Charging' or 'Charging Slowly'. This never happened before Pie."

Gizmodo suggests that the bug is probably a problem that cannot be fixed by Android engineers and needs to be addressed by the Pixel team. This would explain why the issue was marked "won't fix" and closed so quickly.

Google has not responded to requests for comment, but hopefully, it gets things sorted out quickly. It is very frustrating not to be able to use a key feature of your $500 device.

Image via Greenbot