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You can now download the March Pixel Watch update using that usual trick 

Google announced the Pixel Watch March 2023 update yesterday, and you can now download and install it using the usual trick.

When Google announced the update on Monday, going to the Settings app > System and repeatedly tapping the System updates screen would not pull and download the update. There were no reports of people having received the update naturally either.

As of 11 a.m. PT on Tuesday, that trick now works to start the download.

To speed up that process, be sure to disable Bluetooth (after the download has started) on your Pixel Watch to force a Wi-Fi connection. It’s taking a little bit longer to install compared to before, but this is a bigger update with various changes compared to the past three monthly releases.

2: Before | 3: After

Besides the changes Google announced, this March update (RWDA.230114.008.R1) tweaks the Settings app to remove blank space and bring various elements/buttons closer together. This results in you seeing more items per screen.

Meanwhile, we’re not yet getting the ability to enable/disable the Battery Saver in Quick Settings with just a single tap. Update: Google tells us this feature is still rolling out.


Watch Faces

  • Digital Clock is now available with button press when the device is powered down. The time will now appear upon crown push, alongside the red low battery indicator.

Display

  • In addition to enabling AOD in the settings on your watch or companion app, you can now turn AOD on by  rotating the haptic crown, and the screen activates in AOD off and brightens display in ambient mode.

Touch

  • Optimizations have been added to improve sensitivity of touch screen behavior.

Settings

  • Battery saver enable/disable single tap support in QSS has been fully enabled in this release.

Alarms

  • In the coming weeks, a fix will be rolled out via PlayStore to update the Clock app that addresses some alarms which have been having a delayed or false start. 
  • Ensure Auto-update apps is selected in Play Store > Settings on your watch and you will get this update once it’s available when your watch is on charger and connected to Wi-Fi.

Settings

  • Mono-audio which limits the disorientation of split-audio
  • New color-correction and greyscale modes that better optimize the display for a wider range of vision preferences.

More on Pixel Watch:

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Avatar for Abner Li Abner Li

Editor-in-chief. Interested in the minutiae of Google and Alphabet. Tips/talk: abner@9to5g.com

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