Besides the December 2023 Feature Drop introducing a pair of new Pixel Watch capabilities, Google this week updated the Personal Safety app with two Wear OS Tiles.
These shortcuts let you quickly “Start” Emergency Sharing or Safety Check with a quick swipe from your watch face. There’s a big red or yellow pill-shaped button instead of having to go into the app list. The alternative is placing an app shortcut for Personal Safety on your watch face.
It joins how Emergency SOS and Emergency info are accessible by long-pressing on the crown, with Google going as far as introducing an accessory to place on the band as an explicit message for first responders.
Meanwhile, last month, Google introduced and updated a “Wear OS Media Sessions” app. This should let the company update Now Playing via the on-watch Play Store outside of monthly updates. I personally would like a media controls Tile that’s more persistent than the notification at the bottom of your watch face.
This week’s Feature Drop introduced a pair of Pixel Watch updates, including Call Screen (when paired with a Tensor-powered phone) and Watch Unlock. The latter is not yet live, while there is currently no Wear OS update. In November, only the LTE Pixel Watch 2 was updated, while the last release for the original Pixel Watch was the Wear OS 4 upgrade.
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Jessica Irvine is a tech enthusiast specializing in gadgets. From smart home devices to cutting-edge electronics, Jessica explores the world of consumer tech, offering readers comprehensive reviews, hands-on experiences, and expert insights into the coolest and most innovative gadgets on the market.
