Google Pixel Watch

Google is ‘thinking’ about making future Pixel Watch models repairable

Ben Schoon | Sep 25 2024 - 3:45 am PT

After three generations that cannot be repaired, Google is finally “thinking” about how to make a Pixel Watch that you don’t have to replace when you break it.

Since the first Pixel Watch, Google has required users to replace their broken Pixel Watch instead of fixing a broken screen or other components. The same applied to Pixel Watch 2 and even the Pixel Watch 3 which launched earlier this month. It’s not just that screen repairs aren’t easy or widely available, but Google has said it’s just not offered in any capacity.

Speaking at a panel at Climate Week NYC, as documented by Wired, Google’s Nicole Azores, a manager of Government Affairs and Public Policy at Google, says that the company is looking at making future Pixel Watch models repairable.

Watches and wearables are still fairly nascent and we are thinking through how to make this repairable. We’re thinking about repairability on a broader scale, not just on phones and tablets, and we want to make sure that all of our products eventually become repairable. I think watches being so new as a category, there are some design elements that need to be considered on how we make them repairable.

There’s no word on when this might take effect, though. If Google hasn’t worked out how to make its current design repairable as of now, it’s unlikely we’ll see any changes to repairability in the next generation.

That said, this is progress, as Google has previously only pointed to support channels and replacements when discussing repairability around its smartwatches, never mentioning plans for future models. Last year, Google introduced a protection plan for Pixel Watch 2 that expanded the scope and lessened the cost of getting a replacement, with the same plans being available for the Pixel Watch 3 in both sizes.

Earlier today, Google started rolling out Wear OS 5 to the original Pixel Watch and Pixel Watch 2, catching up the older models with the software found on the latest generation.