Much less frequent Pixel Watch updates could possibly be an excellent factor in spite of everything

Earlier this month, Google quietly confirmed that its three Pixel Watch fashions would see a important delay earlier than their subsequent software program updates. Particularly, the following scheduled replace isn’t coming till March 2025 — roughly 5 months from the time of Google’s announcement. Naturally, many Pixel Watch, Pixel Watch 2, and Pixel Watch 3 customers responded negatively to this information, as a scarcity of updates for a number of months means no new options and, extra importantly, no safety fixes.

An adversarial response to this is sensible. In any case, we found this schedule change because the Put on OS 5 rollout began up once more for the Pixel Watch and Pixel Watch 2 after a disastrous rollout try just a few weeks prior. It’s logical to imagine that extra updates could be higher for Google’s greatest smartwatches, not fewer.

Nonetheless, I’m really fairly completely satisfied about this. Sure, I’m barely disillusioned as I benefit from the pleasure of getting a brand new replace each month, however total, delayed replace rollouts are in all probability Google’s greatest technique for smartwatches.

For a lot of the Pixel Watch line’s existence, the smartwatches have acquired updates fairly reliably each one or two months. As with Google’s Pixel smartphones, the watches see safety patches for these common month-to-month updates after which obtain new options throughout quarterly Pixel Drops (beforehand often called Pixel Characteristic Drops). Retaining the Pixel watches to this frequency makes them match the identical schedule Pixel telephones and the Pixel Pill get, which is sensible, no less than on paper.

On September 24, 2024, Google began the rollout of Put on OS 5 to the primary Pixel Watch and the Pixel Watch 2 (the Pixel Watch 3, launched just a little over a month prior, had Put on OS 5 out of the field). Sadly, many customers noticed important points with the replace, together with their watches immediately turning into unresponsive. Fortunately, it was attainable to roll again this replace — Google posted a information for doing simply that — however the firm rapidly pulled the plug on the Put on OS 5 rollout regardless. It will be over a month earlier than Google would start the method once more on November 12. This time, no main points have been reported.

Nonetheless, a really transient point out was included with the announcement of that second Put on OS 5 rollout: “…the following replace [is] deliberate for March 2025.” Google didn’t clarify this five-month delay between this replace and the following. It additionally didn’t affirm if that will be the brand new schedule or if this was only a one-time delay. All we all know is that the November replace — which included the November 2024 safety patch for all watches and the Put on OS 5 replace for the 2 unique Pixel watches — could be the final one we see for just a few months.

Clearly, Google’s unique Put on OS 5 rollout in September didn’t go nicely, and this new months-long replace break is nearly definitely a response. However was this the fitting transfer? I feel it was.

Whereas it’s been nice that, relating to updates, Google handled the Pixel Watch line the identical method it will a Pixel cellphone, there’s no arguing {that a} watch may be very completely different from a smartphone. It merely doesn’t want that very same degree of consideration because it’s not a standalone gadget. Certain, you need to use it and not using a smartphone, however most individuals studying this use their smartwatch as a sidecar for his or her cellphone, making it inherently secondary of their lives. Smartwatches are additionally far much less susceptible to hacks and safety breaches because of their secondary nature, so fixed safety patches aren’t practically as vital as they’re for telephones. With all this in thoughts, Google treating watch updates with the identical urgency and significance as cellphone updates by no means made a lot sense.

Additionally, the updates have been by no means that hefty to start with. I’ll overtly admit that I’m all the time enthusiastic about getting the newest software program model of something, however on my Pixel Watch, these have not often included something attention-grabbing. More often than not, it’s just some safety patches, which, from a user-facing perspective, is the very definition of boring. Even the quarterly Pixel Drops solely included a handful of recent options. Most lately, within the October Pixel Drop, the Pixel Watch 3 bought precisely three new options: a brand new Tile for contacts, the power to react to messages with Emoji, and a broader rollout of the Lack of Pulse Detection function. These are all good, for positive, however they’re hardly life-changing. I put in the replace and went about my day, barely even desirous about it.

Google delaying replace rollouts will permit it time to make updates extra substantial. As a substitute of a number of fairly minor updates, we’d get greater than that every time, with one or two possibly even being important. It additionally offers Google the time to develop new options customers actually care about, such because the addition of recent watch faces (a quite common request).

Moreover, Google having extra time ought to hopefully imply fewer issues with these updates. I’ve already talked concerning the Put on OS 5 fiasco, however that’s not the one update-related drawback Pixel watches have confronted. The June rollout got here with a big battery drain bug, which Google fastened within the July replace. We additionally noticed Google roll out a notification on your cellphone when your watch’s battery has reached 100% cost earlier this yr, just for the corporate to take it away inexplicably — after which convey it again just a few months later. If Google’s groups hadn’t been so pressed for time to get the month-to-month replace out the door, snafus akin to these might need been prevented.

In different phrases, Google having extra time ought to hopefully lead to extra substantial updates which are much less more likely to create extra issues than they repair. How might that not be an excellent factor?

As I discussed earlier, we all know that Google has paused its replace schedule till March 2025. That’s across the time after we count on the primary Pixel Drop of the yr. Theoretically, that will imply a Pixel Drop for smartwatches half a yr within the making, which will surely be thrilling. I can solely hope Google is cooking one thing extraordinary for us then.

Nonetheless, what occurs after that’s anybody’s guess. Will Google return to month-to-month updates? I don’t suppose it must. I’d be nice with Google sticking to a quarterly replace schedule for all its smartwatches. I’d a lot quite get attention-grabbing, secure upgrades 4 instances a yr than get sloppy, insignificant updates each month.

The one actual concern right here is safety. Just a few days after Google introduced it will maintain off on updates till March, we noticed stories of a Put on OS bug associated to Android 15’s Personal Area function. Principally, some notifications from Personal Area apps might seem in your watch, which could possibly be problematic in some circumstances. As of now, Google has acknowledged the issue however hasn’t introduced a repair nor after we can count on that to land. This is a wonderful argument for the month-to-month safety replace camp.

Personally, I’m probably not involved about this. The Personal Area bug shouldn’t be nice, but it surely’s additionally not that harmful, both. I’m assured that if some out-of-control safety gap have been found in any Pixel Watch, Google would push out a repair as quickly as attainable, no matter its frequency schedule. However, going again to what I stated earlier than concerning the very nature of smartwatches, there simply aren’t that many safety considerations to have with a Pixel Watch, so I’d count on this to be an unusual expertise.

As tech followers, I feel we must be much less targeted on replace schedules throughout the board. As soon as once more, I overtly admit that I get excited each time a gadget I personal has a pending replace, so I perceive the will to get them usually and reliably. Nonetheless, I’ll take high quality over amount any day of the week.