Google’s customer support has come a long way since it first began selling Nexus mobile phones and Google Voice number ports to customers. However, the success of its new suite of devices depends on how well it’s able to provide customer and technical support for those devices.

Google’s history with customer support is not great, which is why it’s an encouraging sign that the Pixel includes the ability to message customer support from inside the actual phone, which is definitely better than its Nexus-era method of offering user forums and maybe some e-mail support.

Those weren’t even good enough for paid customers of Google Voice, let alone a device that costs hundreds of dollars, and eventually Google relented and opened up a phone support line.

The Pixel is available most commonly in Verizon stores and at Best Buy, which makes them easy to buy, but means that Google doesn’t have much control over how they’re displayed and demonstrated to customers.

Since Google made plenty of not-so-subtle comparisons of the iPhone to the Pixel where the iPhone came up short, critics like Bloomberg Technology draw inevitable comparisons to Apple and its retail network. Microsoft is building a similar network of stores, but is that something that Google needs to do?

Google Has Its Own Phones. Now It Needs New Retail Strategy [Bloomberg Technology]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.