Ready to make your smartwatch even smarter? Google is leveling up the Pixel Watch 4 with some seriously handy new tricks! Two months after its release, Google is rolling out updates that promise to make your wearable experience even smoother. Our review, which scored the watch an impressive 86, pointed out a gap in gesture-based interactions. Now, the new one-handed gesture features, like double pinch and wrist turn, are here to fill it.
In an industry where innovation often involves taking inspiration from others, it's no surprise that these features bear a resemblance to those found on the Apple Watch.
Double Pinch: This feature mirrors the Apple Watch's double-tap function. Pixel Watch 4 users can now pinch their fingers together twice on the same hand to perform actions like answering or ending calls and pausing timers.
But here's a neat addition: the Pixel Watch will provide "context hints" on the screen, suggesting when you might want to use the double-pinch gesture. This is a great way to make the feature more intuitive for beginners.
Wrist Turn: Google's take on Apple's wrist flick, allows Pixel Watch 4 users to take actions such as dismissing incoming calls with a simple turn of the wrist.
Currently, users can already rotate their wrist to scroll through notifications. And this is the part most people miss: they can also summon Gemini (Google's AI assistant) by bringing their wrist to their mouth. However, it's a bit tricky, requiring users to start from the homepage and be precise with their movements. To help with this, Google is releasing a new step-by-step tutorial for the raise-to-talk feature, hoping to make it easier to use.
What do you think about these new features? Do you find them useful, or do you prefer other methods of interacting with your smartwatch? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
