Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Wearables
  3. Mobile
  4. News

Google’s latest Pixel Watch update is kind of a mess

By
Add as a preferred source on Google
Someone wearing the Google Pixel Watch 2 with a yellow/green fabric band.
Joe Maring / Digital Trends

Google has released the Wear OS 5 update for the Pixel Watch and Pixel Watch 2. However, some users have experienced issues with the update. Luckily, there could be an easy fix.

According to Reddit and Google’s support forums, the issue arises right after Wear OS 5 is installed on the watch. From there, some users see a blank display with a Bluetooth disconnected icon on the bottom.  To resolve the issue, Android Police and The Verge recommend that users perform a fast boot reset. According to Google, you hold down the crown on your watch for 3 seconds, then scroll down and tap Restart.

Recommended Videos

If the previous solution doesn’t fix the issue with your watch, you can attempt a hard reset. To do this, press and hold the watch crown and the side button simultaneously for about 20 seconds. After doing this, you should see the Google logo appear on the screen. Are you still having problems? TechRadar recommends performing a reset from FastBoot, which is somewhat complicated.

If you haven’t upgraded your Pixel Watch or Pixel Watch 2 to the Wear OS 5 update, waiting until Google pushes out a fix might be wise. Assuming this is a significant issue affecting many Pixel users, we can expect a fix to arrive sooner rather than later.

Someone wearing the Google Pixel Watch 3, showing the app drawer.
Joe Maring / Digital Trends

Wear OS 5, which comes preinstalled on the recently released Pixel Watch 3, includes several feature updates and fixes. As we previously noted, one of the most significant changes is the grid-based app launcher, which visually resembles launchers from other Wear OS manufacturers. You can choose between this grid-based launcher or the list-based app launcher available on previous Wear OS versions.

The Wear OS update includes Watch Face enhancements, including flavors, goal progress, and complication types. Weather conditions and a heart rate system data source have also been added. Finally, Wear OS 5 offers more detailed running metrics. This includes ground contact time, stride length, vertical oscillation, and vertical ratio metrics.

Overall, Wear OS 5 is a solid update — though it’ll be much better once these bugs are ironed out. Here’s to hoping that happens soon.

Bryan M. Wolfe
Bryan M. Wolfe
Former Mobile and A/V Freelancer
Bryan M. Wolfe has over a decade of experience as a technology writer. He writes about mobile.
Topics
I’m done charging things that never leave my desk
Wireless peripherals are better than ever, but I’m starting to value the devices that ask absolutely nothing of me
Computer, Computer Hardware, Computer Keyboard

I have two pairs of wireless earbuds that I rotate during long gaming sessions. When one starts complaining about its battery, I swap in the other pair and put the first one on charge. It’s a mildly ridiculous system, but it works. Apparently, my gaming setup now requires something resembling shift work.

Then my mouse died in the middle of a game.

Read more
The Pixel 11 is almost here, but I’m more excited about what could come with it
Maroon, Text

It’s August, which means one thing if you follow smartphones even remotely closely: new Pixels are almost here. Google is holding its next Made by Google event on August 12, and this year, we’re expecting another packed lineup of phones. The Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro XL, and Pixel 11 Pro Fold are all expected to take the stage. Yes, that’s the same four-phone lineup Google gave us last year, but the interesting part will obviously be what’s changing underneath. Between the usual camera improvements, new hardware, and whatever AI tricks Google has been cooking up, there should be plenty to talk about.

And the phones may only be part of the story. Google is expected to have a few more announcements up its sleeve, making this one of its biggest hardware events of the year. So, if you’re planning to tune in, here’s when the Made by Google event starts, how you can watch it, and everything we expect Google to announce.

Read more
Kids’ smartwatches are meant to keep children safe, but hackers can turn them into stalking devices
Millions of kids' smartwatches may share the same hackable security flaw.
kid-wearing-smartwatch

A smartwatch designed to help parents keep tabs on their children turned out to be surprisingly easy to hijack. In a new demonstration, security researchers showed how hackers could secretly monitor someone wearing a GPS-enabled kids' smartwatch.

They can take photos, listen through its microphone, and even track location without the wearer noticing. These findings, reported by Wired, highlight a much larger problem that goes well beyond a single gadget.

Read more