Let me take you through these additions and explain how they’ve enhanced my Pixel Watch experience and why they’re making me excited for the Pixel Watch 3.
The Pixel Watch 2 is now more in sync with my Pixel phone
Early in 2024, Google rolled out one crucial feature to the Pixel Watch 2: Do Not Disturb and Bedtime mode synchronization with Pixel phones. While this may seem like nothing but a nifty extra, it really improved my smartwatch usage.
Without this synchronization, I had to remember to manually put my watch in bedtime mode every night or risk getting woken up by a notification or a bright display. Even without these interruptions, I’d lose 30-40% of battery life if I didn’t religiously trigger the mode each night. Since this option rolled out, though, I just plug in my Pixel 8 Pro at night, which automatically triggers bedtime mode on the phone (through Digital Wellbeing) and thus automatically syncs to bedtime mode on the watch.
Bedtime mode sync has saved my sleep sanity and my watch’s battery life every day for the past months.
I’ve also been loving the Pixel Watch’s phone unlock feature, which automatically unlocks my Pixel if I’m wearing my already-unlocked watch. It’s faster than using the phone’s fingerprint sensor and doesn’t require me to look straight at the phone to trigger face unlock. Plus, it works with wet fingers, in the dark, or if I’m hiding behind scarves and hoodies in the middle of winter. I don’t think about it anymore, but every time it works, I’m thankful for it.
Google’s smartwatch apps have made some big leaps
Two years ago, the state of Google’s own apps on Wear OS was pretty laughable, if you ask me. Many obvious features were missing, and many apps were surprisingly not even there. But once again, update by update, almost every single gap has been filled.
Google Assistant tile
Google Home favorites, routines, tile, and more
Google Wallet boarding passes and loyalty cards
Google Calendar event addresses
The new native Gmail app is nifty, too, but it’s not something I’ve personally found myself using all that much. I can take it or leave it.
Google Maps transit directions
This ties in very well with the Calendar improvement I mentioned above. Whenever I’m going out, I just check my calendar on my wrist, tap the location, and start transit navigation. This is the kind of smooth experience and useful help I have always wanted on my smartwatch.
Better watch faces are popping up
It’s been more than a year since Google announced Watch Face Format, its own template for watch faces on Wear OS, but developer update took a while. In the past few months, several watch face designers jumped on board, and there are now lots and lots of excellent watch faces for the Pixel Watch built specifically with Watch Face Format.
These faces are lightweight, don’t require a companion app, integrate into the Pixel Watch’s phone app for easy customization on a big screen, and should — technically — consume less battery than non-Watch Face Format faces. So, after avoiding third-party watch faces for years because of questionable performance, I can finally personalize my watch with a few different designs.
My Pixel Watch 2 experience is approaching perfection
At launch, the Watch 2 added auto-start, pause, and stop for exercise tracking and made backups and restores possible, two features I had also lamented with the original Pixel Watch. It also improved the charging speed and battery life compared to the first watch iteration. Plus, since the original’s launch, I’ve seen some of my favorite apps — WhatsApp, AllTrails, Spotify, and Swim.com — come to my wrist as native apps.
All of this, plus all of the added features I mentioned earlier, means that my Pixel Watch experience is almost perfect these days. Nothing is really absolutely perfect, though.
My original wishlist is nearly all fulfilled, but now I have a whole other list of additions I’d like to see.
Software-wise, I still need Google to implement wrist-based music and video controls for my Nest speakers and Chromecasts. I want local and offline Google Assistant actions, like setting timers and alarms, that don’t rely on my phone’s connectivity. Fitbit’s severely lacking swim tracking, which is nothing more than a timer and doesn’t track heart rate, needs an overhaul as well. Period tracking should also be accessible from my wrist: I should be able to log a new cycle or see my current cycle without taking my phone out.
Plus, call me silly, but I really miss the gestures from the old Android Wear days. I used to be able to scroll my screen with a simple flick and flip my wrist to read a notification without tapping on my watch. Not anymore. And with Apple and Samsung adding finger pinch gestures, this is the kind of simple and smooth control I’d love on my Pixel Watch.
And finally, Google should bring back the most basic feature of all: fully charged notification. For a few months, my Pixel 8 Pro would pop a notification every time my Watch 2 was fully charged, reminding me to take it off the charger. That notification isn’t working anymore so I end up leaving my watch for hours on end on the charger because I’m forgetful like that. If I’m enjoying my watch, let me use it more, Google.
This might be asking too much, but since Google has fulfilled most of my early Pixel Watch requests, I feel validated in my way of thinking. I can only hope that these wishes come true soon, too.
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