Google says older Pixel Watches will get Wear OS 5 ‘later this year’

After a messy update that forced some Pixel Watch and Watch 2 owners to reset their devices, Google is giving itself plenty of time to fix the problem.

It’s been a couple of weeks since Google’s original Pixel Watch and Pixel Watch 2 got an update to the newest Wear operating system…and a couple of weeks since Google paused the update after users complained about their watches getting borked by it. A new statement says you might have to wait quite a while before you see Wear OS 5 on your watch.

While some Pixel Watch and Pixel Watch 2 units updated smoothly to the same build of Wear OS 5 that came with the newly-released Pixel Watch 3, others weren’t so lucky. They were met with a blank screen showing a Bluetooth logo, with the only solution being a tricky reboot into the watch’s firmware and a soft wipe of the device, which means setting it up all over again. Obviously that’s less than ideal, and it’s a support nightmare on Google’s end.

According to a newly-posted support page for Wear OS 5 (spotted by 9to5Google), Google will get the software update fixed and roll it out to the Pixel Watch and Watch 2 “later this year.” Note that this is a range of about eleven weeks at the time of writing. The post links to instructions on how to reset your watch if it’s been put out of commission by the faulty update.

Owners of older Pixel Watches probably aren’t too happy to hear about a less-than-ideal update to the latest OS just as the more expensive Pixel Watch 3 launches. The Pixel wearables, like the phones of the same name, are supposed to grant you top-tier software support straight from Google itself. A fast update to the latest version of Android is assumed to be part of the package…not to mention a pretty high price as Android-powered Wear watches go. But then, the phones are also getting a somewhat pokey upgrade to the latest version of Android this year.

It’s a shame. I happen to have bought a Pixel Watch 3 earlier this week, and I can say it definitely feels faster and more stable than the original Pixel Watch, even while it lasts about twice as long on a charge. (Part of that’s almost certainly the physically larger battery on the 45mm model, but I assume the hardware has become more efficient, too.) Considering the poor battery life compared to competition from Samsung and Apple, I expect that a lot of Pixel Watch owners were eagerly anticipating that Wear OS 5 upgrade.

I appreciate that Google doesn’t want to commit to a specific date until it’s ironed out all the wrinkles for the software. But Pixel devices are supposed to be Google’s premiere hardware experience…and get its premiere support. Pixel Watch owners are more than justified if they feel irked by a somewhat indeterminate wait after a faulty software update.

Since these watch owners are probably looking at an upgrade purchase within a year or two at the latest, I’d be doing everything in my power to keep them happy if I were in Google’s shoes right now.