Preorder (verb): To order (an item of merchandise) before it is available, with the understanding that it will be shipped later. Google is apparently cool with the first half of the definition, but not the second part, as the company currently seems to be cancelling Pixel Fold orders left and right.
As reported by Android Police, Pixel Fold customers are discovering Google has either canceled their preorders or put them on hold, either because “it doesn’t align with our sales term” or the payment details couldn’t be verified. That’s what happened to one Redditor who posted to r/GooglePixel: Google canceled their order due to a sales term issue, but the Redditor confirmed a hold was successfully put on their card for the order, so…huh?
If your order was simply put on pause, you should receive an email letting you know. However, if your order was canceled, there’s a good chance Google hasn’t reached out to you at all. If you didn’t get an email confirming the order’s cancellation, the only way to know for sure is to check the order status—a set of circumstances presumably leaving many customers with no idea their preordered Pixel Fold won’t be headed their way at all.
Google says the issue is a “bug” they’re currently dealing with, and expect to have it fixed within 48 hours. That’s good, because the Pixel Fold launches tomorrow, June 27. That said, it’s bad news for anyone whose orders were canceled, especially those who preordered after Google I/O on May 10, as shipping estimates are currently extended to July 19–20. If you were expecting to get your device tomorrow, you might be out of luck.
If you haven’t ordered the Pixel Fold yet, or if you need to re-order it due to this bug, you can buy the new phone from the link below:
This issue does seem isolated to Google’s own online store. Android Police highlights that Pixel Fold orders through other vendors, such as AT&T, don’t seem to be affected, meaning your phone should get to you tomorrow, or whenever your original shipping estimate promised.