Updated: Buggy Pixel Watch Wear OS 5 rollout paused; a fix is coming

UPDATE 09/27/2024, 2:30PM EST: A Google spokesperson has issued a statement that reads: “ We’re aware of the issue affecting some Pixel Watch users, and in the meantime, we have paused the WearOS 5 rollout and are actively working on a resolution. ” The original report follows below.

While software updates are usually for adding new features and fixing bugs and glitches, there are occasional hiccups with bad updates. Something like that happened earlier this week when Google started rolling out the Wear OS 5 update for the original Pixel Watch and Watch 2 users.

The patch brings a new grid-style app drawer, better camera controls, the Recorder app, and more features to Pixel Watches. Soon after the patch was released, many older-gen Pixel Watch owners excited to try those new features reported black screen issues while installing the update.

Thankfully, it seems like Google has hit pause on the Wear OS 5 release for these older Pixel Watches.

Pixel Watch Wear OS 5 updated paused

Folks over at 9to5Google report that Google may have paused seeding the Waer OS 5 patch for older-gen Pixel Watches. After attempting to install the update, affected users reported that their watches were unresponsive or displayed a black screen with a crossed Bluetooth logo.

While this issue is fixable, and Google has provided a guide to assist you through the procedure, putting the watch into Fastboot mode for performing a factory reset and re-pairing the device doesn’t sound like much fun.

We’re not sure how widespread the problem is, but we’ve seen enough frustrated voices to know it’s not a one-off. In that perspective, Google’s decision to halt update distribution may make a lot of sense, at least until it can determine the core source of these issues.

It is currently unclear when Google will start rolling out the Wear OS 5 update for the previous-gen Pixel Watches again.

While you can always use factory images to get your hands on the latest update, we suggest you proceed with caution if you’re trying to install the Wear OS 5 patch on your smartwatch or wait until the rollout resumes.

What do you think about Google’s track record with Pixel hardware? Would you buy a Pixel Watch despite the potential bugs? Let’s chat in the comments, down below, and make sure you’re connected with us on our Twitter and Facebook .