What you need to know
- Google was reportedly spotted working on new gestures for its Pixel Watch, such as one called “wrist turns” for managing notifications and calls.
- The second feature was described similarly to Apple’s pinch gestures, dubbed “double pinch” in Google’s code.
- Google recently rolled out the final patch to the original Pixel Watch, as well as cutting off Clock app support to non-Pixel smartwatches.
Google’s reportedly developing a new set of wrist and hand gestures for its Pixel Watch that can bring that futuristic flair to your smartwatch.
Discovered by Android Authority, Google is seemingly working on a quick-flick feature: wrist turns. Early vestiges of the company’s code in the Pixel Watch app suggest that there are plans to return these “wrist turns” for managing calls and handling notifications. Per the publication, Google’s descriptions state users can “silence calls” by turning their wrist, and they can “close alerting notifications.”
The second feature in the app’s code, while not an old Wear OS feature, is something Google’s competitor, Apple, has graced its smartwatch with. Other strings of code suggest Google is developing a “Double Pinch” gesture, likely leveraging the hand your watch is near.
The code summary states, “Use double pinch to answer calls, interact with notifications, take photos, and more.”
It’s still early, as the app didn’t offer more information, such as more detailed use examples, for the report to dig into. However, as the publication notes, the “wrist turn” feature is giving old-school Wear OS vibes. There was a time when users could flick their wrist to “navigate” their watch, such as notifications. More details will likely get added as Google’s development continues, but for now, we’ll have to settle for this.
Look, no hands!
It’s been relatively quiet on the new features front for Google’s Pixel Watch, but there have been moves made for general support. When November kicked off, Google started rolling out the final minor update for its original Pixel Watch. While this patch only brought security fixes and the like, it did so as the last patch the O.G. glass-domed device will ever see. Consumers with the original watch won’t receive any more major Wear OS updates, but they can still keep their apps up to date via the Play Store.
Unfortunately, the model isn’t picking up Wear OS 6. It’s had a good run, one could say, as it picked up Wear OS 3.5 through 5.1 over the past few years.
Around the same time, Google announced that it was ending support for the Clock app on non-Pixel watches. This concerns the Wear OS Clock app, something that Google cut off from others amid a series of backlash from users. Non-Pixel watches have lost the Clock app, as well as any updates for it.
Though users didn’t find it too kind, Google tried to defend itself, stating, “watch brands offering their own default clock apps on Wear OS.” Instead, Google is pushing users toward Clock apps offered by the watch’s maker and plenty of others available on the Play Store.
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