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Though it was officially announced at Google I/O in May and shipped on its first device two months ago, Wear OS 5 is only publicly available on two smartwatch lines so far: The Galaxy Watch 6/Ultra series, and the Pixel Watch 3. Samsung has a beta version available in the form of One UI 6 Watch for older models, but it’s yet to go stable.
Those poor adoption rates are finally improving today, as Google is bringing Wear OS 5 to the first-gen Pixel Watch and the Pixel Watch 2.
Google has announced that Wear OS 5 will start rolling out to older Pixel Watch models as of 4:00 p.m. ET today, September 24. The update will bring several of the new features first seen on the Pixel Watch 3 series to older models, including a grid-style app drawer first seen in late May.
The company says this update will be made available to Pixel Watch 1 and 2 users on Wear OS 3.5 or 4.0, which is basically anyone who’s updated their watch in the last year. The rollout won’t happen instantly, however — instead, Google will issue the update in phases over the course of the next week.
Software versions (global)
- Google Pixel Watch 1: AW2A.240903.005.A2
- Google Pixel Watch 2: AW2A.240903.005.A1
The September 2024 software update includes an upgrade to WearOS 5, including new features, numerous bug fixes, and performance updates for Pixel Watch users. Additionally, app updates via the Playstore will be available for Pixel Watch 1 and Pixel Watch 2 to obtain the grid-view app launcher, improved Camera controls and the Pixel Recorder functionality.
Applicable updates are available for all supported Pixel Watch 1 and Pixel Watch 2 devices.
The new app drawer is a major design departure
Under the hood, this update includes the September 2024 security patches for smartwatches. Google hasn’t updated the Pixel Watch Security Bulletin page as of this writing, however, so it’s unclear which, if any, vulnerabilities have been patched.
One thing that will be immediately apparent upon updating is a new addition to the bottom of your app drawer — a pair of buttons in a new App view section let you easily switch between the list view with spelled out app names that you’re used to and a new grid UI that shows only app icons. The grid view resembles the app launcher in Apple’s watchOS, if you’re familiar, but aligns the icons in a more linear layout.
This update also brings the Pixel Watch 3’s improved Camera app controls to older watches, making it easy to switch between photo and video modes while adding access to Astro Mode for astrophotography. Google says “numerous bugfixes” and performance improvements are also included.
