The Google Pixel Tablet is an unusual combination of tablet and Nest Hub functionality. This unique approach, however, creates a conundrum, resulting in its identity as a decent tablet and an acceptable smart home center. Regrettably, the provided dock lacks functionality and becomes completely useless when used alongside a USB device.
The dock is a clever and small addition that, with a simple magnetic attachment, turns your Pixel Tablet into a smart home screen. By purchasing numerous docks, you may easily mount the tablet in different rooms across your home. The dock’s major function, aside from charging, is to improve music output with its larger speaker system. Unfortunately, when the tablet’s USB-C port is used, the dock’s speakers stop working.
A Mastodon user just discovered something unusual regarding the Pixel Tablet’s dock speakers. When an accessory is connected to the tablet’s USB port, the dock speakers become inoperable, as Mishaal Rahman discovered. To enable the dock speakers, a message on the tablet shows that the linked USB device must be removed (as shown in the accompanying screenshot).
Rahman speculates that the Pixel Tablet may be misinterpreting the dock connection created via the Pogo ports on the back as a USB connection. As a result, the tablet may need to be prepared to manage both audio output and data transfer via its USB interface, resulting in this unusual situation for consumers. It remains to be seen whether this problem is caused by a hardware limitation linked with the onboard USB controller or if it may be resolved with a Google software update.
When a USB cable is linked to the Pixel Tablet, the dock’s speakers cannot be used by end users, while charging the tablet via USB while docked is unnecessary, this constraint may be inconvenient for users who want to attach a USB hub or other peripherals while the tablet is docked. Furthermore, as mentioned in a Mastodon discussion, the inability to submit ADB commands via USB debugging while docked exacerbates the problem.
If the Pixel Tablet’s restrictions damper your enthusiasm, investigate other top Android tablets, such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8+, which provide an even more fulfilling productivity experience.