Wear OS
The step count on my Pixel Watch was consistent with expectations yesterday, so it is looking like that disconnecting and re-connecting the watch to the Fitbit app on my phone helped with the problem. I did notice an odd situation of the step counts decreasing by a few hundred after ending a workout and I am not sure what is going on with that, but at least the counts are in the ballpark of being correct. I don’t expect high accuracy here, close enough but consistent is what I need to track how I am doing over time.
Fitbit On Pixel Watch Update 1
My Reddit post about the Fitbit app on my Pixel Watch is the source of an article on 9to5Google this morning as many people have replied to the post stating they are experiencing the same issue.
As an update, since I disconnected my watch from the Fitbit app on my phone, restarted both watch and phone, deleted yesterday’s step and distance data and then re-connected the watch to the Fitbit app the step count appears to be within expectations.
The problem now is I am not confident that the step count will remain accurate, so the whole situation is requiring more attention that I would like. One needs to be able to rely on data like this or there is no point in even collecting the data.
I have noticed through observations while sitting here at my desk that steps are added slowly over time while they shouldn’t be added at all. I have the felling the sensors on the watch are not being used properly right now, for steps and distance the watch should only increase when one is moving forward and not while sitting at a desk typing.
Fitbit On Pixel Watch Broken
The March 5, 2026 Wear OS update that Google released has broken the Fitbit app. The Fitbit app of my Pixel Watch 3 is significantly over counting/doubling my steps, mileage, and calories consumed. It looks like it is doubling the counts. As an example, I have taken two walks today and the workout details appear correct, one 12 minute, 0.69 mile walk of 1,515 steps and a second 24 minute, 1.35 mile, 2,967 steps walk, but the overview shown on my phone and watch shows a total of 9,827 steps and 4.7 miles.
As an experiment, I shut off my phone and watch then started my watch. After first start up the watch shows the correct step count, but eventually it connects to the Fitbit servers and is then updated with the higher step count.
I am seeing a recommendation on Reddit of a fix involving resetting the watch, which I think means that I will have to re-install apps, but before doing that I decided to try disconnecting the watch from the Fitbit app on the phone.
After I did the disconnect I deleted the day’s step and distance data from the Fitbit app and the backend server so that it displayed 0 steps. I then restarted my watch, observed that it displayed the correct step count, and then reconnected the watch to the Fitbit app, and after a short period of time the watch and the app on the phone showed 5,462 steps.
Next, I went for another walk of 2,662 steps and afterword it showed the correct sum of about 8,124 steps. I am not ready to declare the situation is fixed with my watch but it’s looking positive.
Do you like Wear OS 3’s UI and navigation on the Pixel Watch? I like that swiping left or right from the watch face displays a tile because it lets me decide what I want to access most quickly. To be a tile is basically an app, and I find it hard to really differentiate between the two. My main complaint is that recents is not really recents, and seems to constantly change to whatever WearOS thinks I would want. For some reason Fitbit Exercise, which is my swipe left tile, and Fitbit today always end up at the top of recents.
Last year Google completed the acquisition of Fitbit and we still have not seen a Fitbit running Wear OS.
I don’t see a good way to confirm what processor type is in a Wear OS watch. Settings does not show any processor details. Consequently, I don’t know how you confirm or refute Mobvoi’s claim they are now shipping Qualcomm 4100+ chips rather than the “base” 4100.
Fossil’s Gen 6 line of Wear OS watches is now available to order, they ship at the end of the month and cost around $300. I think this announcement rounds out the watches that will use Qualcomm’s 4100 processor.
“The Galaxy Watch 4 just isn’t Wear OS’ flagship, it’s a Samsung watch that just happens to be running the platform.” 9to5Google.com
A bit surprised then that there isn’t an official Pixel watch in the rumor mill.
Google Wear Is A Hot Mess
Google Wear OS is a hot mess. During Google I/O earlier this year I got the impression that due to the partnership between Google and Samsung the pending Galaxy Watch 4 would be more in line with standard Wear OS watches. Given that it appears the Samsung watches will be the only ones to get Wear OS 3 this year, I was considering buying one.
However, as I read more reviews about the Galaxy watches I am becoming less likely to buy one. First I read that Google Assistant is not preinstalled. Next I read that the watches don’t easily pair with non-Samsung phones, nor work the the Android Wear OS app.
Amazingly, it looks like there will not be a serious Wear OS watch to buy in 2021, and there wasn’t one last year. It feels like Google has or should just give up. As the Fossil Sport I have been wearing is getting more finicky, I am contemplating my next step. Buy a Mobvoi that is expected to be the first to get Wear OS 3 next year, or dump Wear OS altogether and buy a Fitbit?
What’s worse are suggestions that Wear OS 3 may not work best on the Qualcomm 4100 chip in the Mobvoi, the chip that is the next generation smart watch chip from Qualcomm. What the heck?
Hot mess indeed
I think that Google and Samsung are planning Wear OS 3 to launch exclusively on Samsung watches. The question is, will it be available for other watches before the Christmas shopping season? The answer might be no.
Why is it so freakin' difficult to find what is the most current version of Wear OS? Right now I have Version 2.28 on my Fossil Sport, is that the most current version?
I’ve seen two articles today reporting that Google has updated the Play Store on Android Smartphones so that it can remotely (directly) install Wear OS apps on the watch. One of my main complaints about Wear OS is that it requires me to install/manage apps directly on the watch, which is too difficult given the small screen. In the beginning Google enabled one to install/manage their watches from the phone and they took that away in favor of a standalone app store on the watch, a move that made no sense to me at the time even if that is something done on the Apple Watch.
So far I have not seen this update appear on my Pixel 4a. While I can see the Wear OS category in the Play Store, it still really is a list of Android smartphone apps that have Wear OS components, meaning if you have to first install the app on the phone and then go in to the Play Store on the watch to install the associated Wear OS app, which is a totally braindead approach!
Read about the updates that Google is making to the Wear OS App Store. Wish someone would write about the stupidity of the on watch store existing. In my opinion there will never be a good on watch store experience because there is simply not enough screen space to create one. Smart watches are and will always be accessories and not stand alone computers and it best that designers get this through their heads.
I don’t normally pay much attention to Samsung events because I find their products too expensive. However, I am interested in their upcoming Mobile World Congress virtual event because of their partnership with Google on the next version of Wear OS. I am curious to see what is different and whether they may sell a watch that will work with other Android phones.
It’s now a year since Qualcomm announced the Wear 4100 processor and there are only two watches, both from Mobvoi, available that use it. I hope most of the watch vendors are working on new products right now that use a new version of Wear OS.
9to5Google says there will be a spring Wear OS Platform update and they cite the Tiles feature added last year. When you swipe left on the watch face you will see some information. First you could only see your Fit “rings” show step and heart point progress, but they added up to five additional tiles. After the step and heart points, I see weekly heart point progress, timer options, the current weather forecast, and my heart rate.
I agree very much with this sentiment that Wear OS Watchmakers Seem Destined to Kill the Platform. My theory is that because Google is not doing much with Wear OS that the watch makers are holding back using the Qualcomm 4100 until the 2021 Christmas shopping season. If they don’t, they won’t have a compelling reason for people to buy watches then. The fact that Google bought Fitbit doesn’t help the matter. My next watch, if it is Wear OS, will have the Qualcomm 4100 and I will wait until one is available.
The Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 3 GPS, and it’s LTE equivalent, are the only Wear OS watch currently on the market that uses Qualcomm’s 4100 watch processor.
I’ve been wondering about the future of Wear OS in light of Google closing the acquisition of Fitbit and that there are so few watches with the new Qualcomm 4100 processor. I suspect Google has drastically slowed development on Wear OS and that has forced companies to hold back launching watches with the 4100 because it may be the only new thing about them in the next year. If I am right that may mean we won’t see many watches with the latest processor until the fall.
Personally, the Fossil Sport that I currently wear has all the “features” I need but performance is not exactly reliable. I’ve begun to think one of the latest Fitbits might be good. I really wish Apple would do with Apple Watch what they did with the iPod and make it work with Android, which I think would decisively the end Wear OS, but Apple appears committed to the halo Watch gives to iPhone.
Google’s acquisition of Fitbit is complete, will we now see something new relating to Wear OS?