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How It Works Using An Android Phone like the Dual-Role Power based Google Pixel to Charge the Apple iPhone 8 Over USB Power Delivery

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The Apple iPhone 8 supports USB Power Delivery over its Apple Lightning connector which means you can use Android phones like the Google Pixel as a power bank (assuming you're fine with depleting the Pixel's battery charge if standalone without AC power). The Google Pixel can support charging in both directions meaning it can act as a power bank and charging other phones as well as being able to be charged itself.

Here we connect a Apple USB-C to Lightning Cable between the Google Pixel and Apple iPhone 8 when the iPhone is 28% charged. Under the Pixel's USB charging options, we select 'Charge connected device'. When connected to the Pixel, the iPhone automatically just supports charging in which means it can only be charged over USB Power Delivery (rather than providing power to other USB Power Delivery based devices). 

Using GRL-USB-PD-A1 software from Granite River Labs, we can see that the Google Pixel starts to constantly advertise its power capabilities of 4.5 watts (5 volts @ .9 amps) over USB Power Delivery.

We then see that the Apple iPhone 8 requests 4.5 watts (5 volts @ .9 amps) from the Google Pixel which then accepts.

After the Pixel initiates Discover Identity, SVID's, and unstructured VDM's, the iPhone can be seen to repeat the same 4.5 watts (5 volts @ .9 amps) negotiation with the Pixel.

Around the first 5 to 6 seconds of plug in, the Apple iPhone 8 starts drawing an initial 0.5 amps current at 5 volts when the phone is 28% charged and turned on. The current then suddenly drops to zero but immediately steps up to 0.9 amps as the iPhone starts to receive around 4.5 watts (5 volts @ 0.9 amps) from the Google Pixel. After 10 seconds, we can see that the iPhone draws about 4.4 watts (4.9 volts @ 0.9 amps) during the 2nd time it requested the same 4.5 watts from the Pixel in the negotiation.

The Apple iPhone 8 does work fine with the Google Pixel but just don't expect any quick charging with <5 watts. Still it could come convenient at times when your iPhone needs a quick recharge when there's no AC power source lying around.

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