Your old Pixel Watch has been updated with a bunch of new tricks

Quick Summary

Google’s Wear OS 5 is now rolling out to both the first- and second-generation Pixel Watch, bringing battery life and UI improvements, as well as the Pixel Recorder app.

As you expected Google‘s latest wearable product, Pixel Watch 3 It runs the latest Google wearable operating system: Wear OS 5. It also has a dedicated new app, Pixel Recorder, that lets you easily record audio wherever you are. But now both the OS and the app are coming to older Pixel Watch models as well.

Wear OS 5 is coming to original and second-gen Pixel Watches. It’s official Google Pixel Watch blog explains, “Pixel Watch 1 and Pixel Watch 2 devices running WearOS 3.5 or WearOS 4.0 will receive the September 2024 software update along with the Wear OS 5 upgrade starting today.”

As usual, the launch won’t be immediate: the process will take a few weeks, depending on the carrier you use and the specific device you have. But it’s great news for those worried that the arrival of the Pixel Watch 3 will make their current watches obsolete.

What is Pixel Recorder app for Pixel Watch?

According to Google, the update includes updates to the Pixel Watch 1 and Pixel Watch 2, which will give you “a grid view app launcher, improved Camera controls, and Pixel Recorder functionality.”

Originally released for the Pixel Watch 3, Google’s Pixel Recorder app is coming to earlier models too – but as the name suggests, you’ll need to own a Pixel phone if you want to get the most out of it. That’s because, in addition to recording audio, you can also play that audio on your Pixel phone and get a text transcript of it.

We really liked it Pixel Watch 1 When it launches in October 2022 and we like it too Pixel Watch 2 Both devices have been improved with software updates since launch, so if Wear OS 5 gives them the same battery life improvements as it does on the Pixel Watch 3, for example, you could see up to a 20% increase in a long activity like a marathon.