The Pixel Watch is about to get a long-awaited software update

By Patrick Hearn Published November 13, 2024

The Google Pixel Watch 3 lying on top of a plant. — Joe Maring / Digital Trends

For the most part, Google has issued an update to the Pixel Watch roughly once a month. Most were simple security updates, while others included new features and OS upgrades. Fans expected an update in October, but Google delayed it until this month. This update will resume the rollout of Wear OS 5 to Pixel Watch 1 and Pixel Watch 2 users after a series of crashes caused Google to pause it back in September. After several months of work, the company has addressed the cause of the crashes and is confident that yesterday’s update will be stable.

In addition to Wear OS 5, the update will also include better camera controls and changes to the Pixel Recorder app, which will be available through the Play Store. Your individual watch will notify you when the update is available for download, so you don’t have to constantly check for it. The first update for the Pixel Watch 3 since its launch is also coming with bug fixes and security updates. All Pixel Watch models will eventually update to version AW2A.241105.012, although when the update happens will depend on both the carrier and the device.

Someone wearing the Google Pixel Watch 3 showing the running UI. — Joe Maring / Digital Trends

Unfortunately, we’re going to have to wait a while for the next Pixel Watch software updates, which Google says won’t come until March 2025. Before now, Pixel Watch users have never before seen a three-month gap in updates. The longest time between updates usually coincided with operating system upgrades, such as from Wear OS 3 to Wear OS 4. That said, slower updates aren’t necessarily a downside. By reducing the time spent on deploying bug fixes, Google could potentially focus on releasing regular, larger updates — maybe quarterly versus monthly.

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While the wait is unfortunate, it does have a gleaming silver lining. The schedule for the next update lines up with a March Feature Drop. You can expect some significant upgrades and improvements, along with a few updates we already know are coming like the Android 15 QPR2 beta. Expect to see changes not only in how the Pixel Watch works, but also in how it interacts with Android. It’s also safe to say that there are likely several surprises we haven’t come across yet.

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