Over the last few days, there’s been quite a stir in the tech world as it emerged that Google was asking content creators to promote the Pixel 9 range over rivals.
As the Reviews Editor of Tech Advisor, I wanted to explain where we stand on the issue and give you a behind-the-scenes look at how it all works.
What is Team Pixel?
Team Pixel is an invite-only program in which influencers are given free Pixel devices around the time of their launch in order to drum up interest in the latest smartphones, smartwatches and more.
The big hoo-ha this year is that Google specifically asked people on the Team Pixel program to tick a box agreeing to feature Pixel devices instead of rivals. If they didn’t, or if other devices were seen to be favoured in their content, the relationship would be terminated.
The Verge verified that this screenshot was indeed a part of the agreement and was told by Google communications manager Kayla Geier: “We missed the mark with this new language that appeared in the #TeamPixel form.” The agreement has since been made unavailable.
It appears that the program had not made any such stipulations previously, and this year’s misstep has made some creators quit on ethical grounds.
Good on them! There are many other influencers/creators – or however you like to brand them – who have the same high standards that we do. We know many of them personally.
However, those standards aren’t shared by all influencers or content creators, so think twice the next time you see someone on social media waxing lyrical about a new product that appears to be flawless.
This isn’t just a Google issue. Other brands may use similar high-pressure tactics. It just so happens that the Google agreement was the one that was leaked this time.
Chris Martin / Foundry
Chris Martin / Foundry
Chris Martin / Foundry
We are not part of Team Pixel
Tech Advisor is not part of the Team Pixel program and never has been (and never will). It’s handled by a separate PR agency from the one we deal with, and it’s apparently not even run by Google itself.
We are under no obligation to favour Pixel devices, and we’re under no pressure to produce positive reviews. And the same goes for other brands we feature. You can fully trust our reviews – giving our honest opinion is the whole point of what we do.
We’ve been reviewing Pixel phones since the beginning, before Team Pixel was even a thing. And we’ve been reviewing tech for nearly 30 years.
Although I’ve inadvertently used the Team Pixel hashtag on my personal X account as well as on Tech Advisor’s, I won’t be doing so going forward.
How it works
We typically sign an NDA (non-disclosure agreement) in order to be given information about new products, and receive review devices under embargo. All we agree is that we’ll keep product information and our opinions on products to ourselves until we are allowed to publish news and reviews.
In the past, we’ve had to request edits to NDAs to remove any requests for positive or favourable coverage. This is a rare occurrence, though.
If a review is negative or includes negative points, we’ll always have a good reason for it. A brand might ask us to change a review in some way, but we’ll only do that if something is factually incorrect.
We love what we do, and we take it seriously. You’ll always get honest opinions on Tech Advisor.
Find out how we test phones.
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