What Google's Pixel Watch Can Learn From Its Phones

Commentary: Google has an opportunity to make its first smartwatch stand out with Pixel-specific features.

Google is known for more than just its internet services. Over the last several years, the search giant has cultivated a broad array of phones, laptops, wireless earbuds and smart home devices. It will soon add smartwatches to that list when the Pixel Watch arrives later this year. The company announced its first smartwatch during its annual I/O conference on May 11 alongside the Pixel 6A phone and Pixel Buds Pro earbuds.

Google already has a sizable presence in the smartwatch market thanks to its acquisition of Fitbit. But the Pixel Watch gives Google an opportunity to go even further and put its own stamp on wearables. If Pixel phones are meant to showcase Google's ideal Android phone experience, the Pixel Watch could be the company's blueprint for the ultimate Android watch. Google should take a page from its Pixel phones, which make good use of Google Assistant and other Pixel-specific features to stand out from other Android devices.

Read more: Google Pixel Watch: All the Details We Do (and Don't) Know

Google recently confirmed the Pixel Watch will launch in the fall alongside the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro. It also showcased the watch's design and previewed its software and Fitbit integration. But many other details about the watch remain a mystery, such as its battery life, health sensors and selection of software features.

Aside from following in the footsteps of Google's Pixel phones, I hope the Pixel Watch takes some inspiration from Fitbit too -- particularly when it comes to battery life and health tracking.

Google's software is a large part of what makes its Pixel phones stand out. As the purveyor of Android, Google plays a significant role in crafting new features for phones from Samsung, Motorola, OnePlus and many others. But Google typically gives its Pixel devices extra perks that either aren't available on other Android phones or arrive much later. Similarly, Google could build unique features into its watch that are missing from the rest of Wear OS, using it as a test bed for software that could trickle down later.

I hope Google takes a similar approach with the Pixel Watch. I'm impressed with the way Google has addressed some of the inconveniences of modern phone calls through Pixel-specific features on its phones over the last few years. Wait Times, for example, estimates the amount of time you'll be put on hold before calling a toll-free business number on Pixel phones. Google also taught its digital assistant to wait on hold for you in an appropriately named feature called Hold For Me.

Read more: Google's Promise to Simplify Tech Puts Its Gadgets Everywhere

I'd love to see Google be just as thoughtful about the shortcomings of modern smartwatches. It seems like the perfect opportunity for the company to prove how useful Google Assistant truly can be. Anyone who has worn a smartwatch knows that tiny screens aren't ideal for scrolling, tapping or typing extensively. Being able to rely on Google Assistant to surface contextual information and process voice requests would be a key advantage. Google gave its Pixel 6 phones a boost in the speech processing and language translation departments with its new Tensor chip, so hopefully we'll see similar advancements in a future Pixel Watch.

You can already use Google Assistant on certain Fitbits and Wear OS-powered watches to start a workout, check the weather or ask questions, among other tasks. Google's vision for how software should work on smartwatches is also already evident in the overhauled version of Wear OS that launched last year. Clearly that doesn't represent the future of all Google watches. Google Assistant was a no-show for a while, and the Galaxy Watch 4 leans heavily on Samsung Health features like electocardiogram (EKG or ECG) that require a Samsung phone.

We got a taste of the Pixel Watch's software during Google I/O, but I hope the company has more Pixel-specific features in store for the future. We know the Pixel watch will run on Wear OS, integrate heavily with Fitbit and support apps like Google Wallet, Google Maps and Google Home. And of course, the Google Assistant will likely be a big part of the experience.

Rick Osterloh, Google's senior vice president of devices and services, said the watch's software was designed to be "tappable, voice-enabled and glanceable" during his I/O presentation. But that still doesn't tell us if the Pixel Watch will have specific functionality that sets it apart from other Wear OS watches.