I’ve never been interested in a smartwatch, but that changed when I was able to snag a Google Pixel Watch for free with my Google Pixel 7 Pro in 2022.
I’ve upgraded to the Pixel 8 since then (and I’m eyeing up the Pixel 10), but I’ve never felt the inclination to switch to a newer Pixel Watch or another Wear OS 6 smartwatch.
The heady romance with my new smartwatch lasted mere weeks, and despite numerous efforts since, I haven’t been able to relight the spark in our relationship.
After years of closely watching the smartwatch market, I’ve concluded that my problems don’t lie with the Pixel Watch itself, but with the Wear OS 6 family of smartwatches.
I’m unenthusiastic about the upcoming Pixel Watch 4. While it improves some problems, I can’t see it changing my attitude toward smartwatches.
This is what my Pixel Watch would need to do to encourage me to use it regularly.
Charging my smartwatch should be as easy as breathing
I need battery life to be measured in days, not hours
I use my Pixel Watch about once a fortnight. It’s always out of battery, and it always requires an update.
I’m well aware that the first-gen Pixel Watch didn’t offer the best battery life, but it had enough juice to get me through the day. However, the awkward and slow charging speed meant I frequently picked it up only to notice the battery was flat.
I hate the charging pad Google uses for its smartwatches. The magnetic connection won’t keep the watch connected after a gentle knock, and it doesn’t charge fast enough for a quick top-up before you head out.
The Pixel Watch 3 would let you miss one charging cycle, but only if you avoided using battery-draining features like LTE streaming.
The Pixel Watch 4’s new charger
Eventually, I forgot about charging my Pixel Watch so much that it fell out of use. I also don’t support the argument that it’s fine to need to charge my smartwatch every night.
This is a luxury item designed to make my life more convenient. It ought to blend so seamlessly into my daily routine that I forget it’s there. Swearing at it every time it falls off the charger is the opposite of what I want.
The Pixel Watch 4’s redesigned charging ports may fix this problem. Google claims the 41mm Pixel Watch 4 can last up to 30 hours and take at least 45 minutes to charge to 100%.
That’s still one missed charging cycle away from a flat battery at the end of the day.
I’ve been eyeing the resurrected Pebble smartwatch, which has an e-paper display that will last 30 days.
E-paper is doing the heavy lifting there, but I would still sacrifice all of Wear OS 6’s functionality for the relatively limited software but excellent battery life of the Pebble 2.
Even if Google extended the Pixel Watch’s battery life to weeks, I still wouldn’t use it. Why? It’s just not that useful.
Wear OS is nowhere near as useful as it could be
Wear OS should change how I use my phone
Charging issues were frustrating, but the bigger problem is that I wasn’t motivated to keep my Pixel Watch charged. A day spent without my smartwatch was mostly identical to a day with it.
I ended up just using it to check the time and skip songs. In short, I was paying hundreds of dollars to skip the step of pulling my phone out of my pocket.
A Wear OS 6 smartwatch is a luxury item, but I’ve never cared about luxury accessories or flagship devices. I need tech that makes my life easier.
My Pixel Buds are a perfect example of this. I use the tap controls all the time, and they have made me a loyal Pixel Buds Pro user.
Here are some examples of how Google could make my smartwatch and phone work together.
If I receive a text message on my Pixel Watch, I can open it on my phone by tapping the notification, scrolling down, selecting Open on Phone, then unlocking my phone.
It’s a straightforward series of steps, but it’s still slower than just pulling my phone out of my pocket. A single swipe on my watch should unlock my phone and open the notification on it.
Pair this with a nifty animation where the app slides onto the screen when I pick up my phone, and I’m sold.
I also want my Pixel Watch to work with my smartphone. For example, I should be able to open the calculator app on my smartwatch, enter a calculation, then tap to input the result into the currently open app on my smartphone.
Starting music on my phone should open the media player on my smartwatch. Opening a Google Doc on my Chromebook should open the linked Keep Notes on my smartwatch.
In short, I want my Pixel Watch and Pixel phone to work together. Right now, my Pixel Watch feels like a slower, dumber, cramped version of my phone.
Having two screens on hand should open up a new world of cross-device communication.
Google needs to rethink its approach to smartwatch software
Before I wrote this article, I had a chat with friends who aren’t Android enthusiasts about how they use their smartwatches.
After a long pause, I received vague answers about how it’s useful for tracking steps or checking the time. They were more confident in admitting they could easily live without one.
It’s fine for Android smartwatches to be luxury accessories, but with clever software design, they could be so much more. I’m tired of being underwhelmed, but hey, at least Material 3 Expressive on Wear OS 6 is a lone light in the darkness.
