What you need to know
- Google is updating the Pixel Watch with the March 2023 security update and several new features.
- A new low battery mode lets users see the time even when the watch is powered down.
- All features from the March Feature Drop are now available, including fall detection.
- The update for the alarm issues is still forthcoming.
One of the best reasons to choose a Pixel phone or watch is the update schedule. Like clockwork, Google updates its products every single month with security patches and bug fixes as well as quarterly Feature Drops, as the company calls them.
In a Google Community post (opens in new tab), the company announced that the March update is now rolling out to Pixel Watch users worldwide and includes everything previously announced in the March Pixel Feature Drop (opens in new tab). In short, that means fall detection, color blindness modes, and mono audio are now available.
But this update also includes several previously-unannounced features like a new low battery mode that lets users check the time even when the watch is powered down and presumably when the battery is “dead.” In other words, your Pixel Watch will reserve a very small slice of the battery to ensure you can always check the time by tapping the crown, even when the red battery indicator is illuminated on the screen.
While we wait for the update on our Pixel Watches, we’ve emailed Google for clarity on that feature and the AOD feature and will update this article when we hear back (or can test it ourselves).
Google has also improved the touch sensitivity of the device, which will no doubt help folks who have chosen one of the best Pixel Watch screen protectors (opens in new tab) to ward against scratches and glass breaks. The always-on-display (AOD) has been tweaked and can now be enabled by turning the crown, even when AOD is disabled.
This update also includes several security and vulnerability patches. While this doesn’t include patching the recent vulnerability discovered (opens in new tab) in Exynos processors that power phones, the Exynos processor in the Pixel Watch wasn’t affected by that issue. A future app update for the alarm clock will resolve the issues some users have seen (opens in new tab) that causes the alarm to ring late when worn to bed.
Get the watch that gets better every month thanks to Pixel updates and feature drops. It’s a great experience any way you look at it.
