Google rolled out the March 2023 updates to all current-generation Pixel mobile devices this week. The Google Pixel Watch gets fall detection, a power-efficient digital watch face, improved wake-up support, bug fixes and other improvements to bring it in line with the rest of our best smartwatches list.
If it sounds familiar, that’s because Google announced Fall Detection on February 28th, which it reiterated in a blog post detailing the March Drop for Pixels feature. Fall detection is the marquee feature here. Much like with Apple watch 8you’ll be able to have your Pixel Watch automatically detect if you’ve fallen and help contact emergency services to help you.
It will do this through a prompt that allows you to choose if the fall is severe enough to call emergency services. If you don’t make a decision within 60 seconds, the watch will call emergency services automatically. The watch will be able to automatically speak to emergency services for you if you can’t, though you have the option to override it and use your voice.
The other really big advantage is an energy efficient watch face. If your Pixel Watch is off because the battery is low, you’ll still be able to check the time via the Digital Clock Watch Face when you tap the crown. It’s a handy little feature that should give you confidence that your smartwatch can still function like a watch even if the smart features are just too power-hungry to be useful. A similar battery-saving update is coming to the feature’s quick settings panel, allowing you to turn it on or off with a tap.
There are a slew of other miscellaneous fixes associated with this update – even if they aren’t quite as eye-catching. The touchscreen is now more sensitive, rotating the crown now activates the watch, and a bug where some users experienced false starts or delays in the Pixel Watch’s alarm function has been fixed.
Small changes, big impact
Fall detection is a feature that has proven to be a life saver in the past. It’s an excellent addition to any smartwatch, and Google’s listing of it here epitomizes better late than never. Top Apple watches have had the feature for months, but the update is for the Google Pixel Watch only — Fitbit owners will miss the feature. Unsurprising, given that Google has been starving Fitbit features for quite some time now.
There are limitations, of course. It’s not available in all countries, and your phone must be nearby, or it might not detect a fall if the motion sensors told the watch you were doing something innocuous that would explain your sudden loss of momentum. Technology is no magic and features fail once in a while. It’s still better to have it and not need it than to need it and not even have a choice.
Going forward, the Pixel Watch’s battery isn’t the best we’ve seen in a smartwatch. The low-power digital clock feature is a first aid kit, that’s right. It still helps to be able to confidently check the time on your watch without the fear of it running out.
