Google is expected to bring Pixel Watch later this year. The latest reports suggest there will be a dedicated app for Google Pixel Watch that should be downloaded from Play Store.
With this new watch, users won’t be using the standard Wear OS app on the phone to connect to the smartwatch.
9to5Google spotted this news in an APK teardown of Google Play Services beta version 22.22.
A Dedicated Pixel Watch App Might Come Soon
As per the APK teardowns, there’s a change to the Smart Lock features on Google devices. It will let Wear OS 3 smartwatches to help unlock the smartphone, tablet, or Chromebook.
Earlier in January, this feature was teased, and it looks like it’s still under development but might release soon.
The Google Play beta services also mention the Pixel Watch app. It says, “To set up your watch for Smart Unlock, connect it to your phone with the Google Pixel Watch app. Your watch and phone must be connected to use Smart Unlock.”
This confirms that to access some of the Pixel Watch features, a secondary app will be needed. It might be a specific service that will be needed to connect to the smartwatch.
However, nothing is clear now about whether you will need the Wear OS app or not. As most Android smartwatches connect to the Wear OS app.
There are no details on how this app would work. Maybe we don’t see any substantial updates to the existing Wear OS app.
Google Pixel Watch will not use the same companion app as other smartwatches. Similar to Galaxy Watch 4, Pixel Watch will use its own separate app. Also, Google Pixel Buds use a dedicated app instead of Android’s in-built audio options.
Google Pixel Watch is set to arrive sometime this autumn. During Google IO 2022 event, the company revealed the wearable.