Pixel Pass combines a Google phone and services
announced Google announced the Pixel Pass, a new subscription package designed to allow US customers to pay for a Pixel phone in monthly installments while also accessing the company’s premium subscription services such as 200GB of Google One cloud storage, YouTube Premium and YouTube Music Premium and Google Play Pass.
Prices start at $45 per month for the Pixel 6 or $55 for the Pixel 6 Pro. The company says the phones are available unlocked and should work with all major carriers.
Pixel Pass subscribers are eligible to upgrade after two years, the company says, and the subscription also includes an additional year of warranty coverage via the manufacturer’s standard one-year warranty, also known as Preferred Care.
The Pixel Pass, announced alongside the company’s new Pixel 6 phones, appears to combine elements of Apple’s iPhone Upgrade Program (which lets customers pay for an iPhone via monthly payments and offers an extended warranty) with a separate Apple One service package.
Apple One currently includes subscriptions to Apple Music, Apple TV Plus, Apple Arcade, Apple News Plus, Apple Fitness Plus, and iCloud.
However, the main difference is that Pixel Pass only offers an upgrade after two years. While Apple offers a one-by-one upgrade to users in its upgrade program.
Get a new Google phone and more with Pixel Pass
Google says that if subscribers cancel before the two years are up, they have to pay the remaining Pixel device early at its usual non-discounted price, and also lose access to bundled services. Upgrading your device at the end of the two-year period may change the price you pay, the company warns.
The company notes that its subscription to the Pixel Pass is available via Google Fi, in addition to its store. Google Fi subscribers can save an extra $5 off their monthly Google Fi plan with a Pixel Pass subscription.
The new Google subscription includes:
- YouTube Premium Watch without ads and play in the background while using other apps.
- YouTube Music Premium for ad-free and uninterrupted listening.
- Google One with 200GB of secure and reliable cloud storage for Full HD photos and videos and automatic phone backup.
- Google Play Pass with access to hundreds of games and apps without ads and in-app purchases.
- Preferred Care covers life’s minor accidents with hassle-free device repairs.
