The Pixel Watch 4, 3, and 2 run Wear OS 6. This operating system, first released in 2014 as Android Wear, integrates Google Assistant technology into smartwatches. Currently, Wear OS doesn't support Always-On Display (AOD), but this feature is planned to be introduced later this year, as per 9to5Google.
As of now, the Pixel Watch's background artwork fades to black, and several buttons are blurred soon as it's kept on standby. At this stage, the wach only displays time at the center similar to the Maps and Notes apps by Google.
Developers could enable the 'Force Global AOD' setting in Wear OS 5.1 to keep apps visible, but this wasn't a permanent solution. Instead, with the expected update, the device enters System Ambient Mode and remains in 'Resume' mode. During this time, recent top activity, music player and media controls remain visible on the display.
This update may raise concerns about reduced battery life for some. However, Wear OS 6 is being marketed as energy-efficient, and developers assure that updating from Wear OS 5 to Wear OS 6 will reduce battery consumption by 10% due to platform optimizations. The next quarterly update for the Pixel Watch should arrive in December.
Recently, Google introduced the M3 Expressive interface, which adds new UI components, improves existing ones, and provides more customization options for users. Gemini app optimization for smartwatches is also in the works.
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