Google removes deductible costs from Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL Preferred Care plans

With issues ranging from odd device noises to screen defects, Google‘s latest Pixel phones have seemingly received just as much criticism as praise. Google hoped to quell fears by extending the warranty to two years, and now the search giant doubled down on those hopes by removing the deductibles from the pair of phones’ Preferred Care service.

For those not aware, Preferred Care is an optional insurance plan for the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL that extends the scope of their normal warranties by covering accidental damage for two years. So long as you coughed up either a $79 or $99 deductible for the Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL, respectively, you would get a new phone sent to you.

What made things a bit confusing was when Google announced that both phones would now come with a two-year warranty worldwide. This led to the question of what would happen to those who took out Preferred Care for either Pixel 2 phone, with Google saying at the time that it would remain unchanged.

That confusion has been clarified a bit with today’s news that the deductible costs for the two phones have been removed in favor of two free claims. Keep in mind that those waived costs only apply to warranty claims – if you drop and break your phone, you will still need to cough up the applicable deductible.

Either way, it seems that Google is intent on following through with its damage control regarding the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, particularly when it comes to the latter. The company has promised that upcoming software updates should solve a good number of issues with the two phones, but we will have to wait and see whether things pan out that way.