Google has started rolling out its fix for the Pixel Watch battery drain bug it confirmed last week. The fix isn’t a Wear OS system update. It arrives as app updates through the Play Store on the watch, so owners should install them by hand instead of waiting.
A Google spokesperson shared the details in a statement to Android Authority on November 3:
The fix for the battery drain issue, affecting a small number of Pixel Watch users has begun rolling-out and will be complete over the next couple of days. To implement the fix, please update your Pixel Watch apps by pressing the crown on your Pixel Watch, opening the Play Store app, and tapping Manage apps > Update all.
How to install the Pixel Watch battery fix
The steps below follow Google’s statement and its Pixel Watch help page on updating apps. Everything happens on the watch itself.
- Press the crown on your Pixel Watch.
- Tap Play Store.
- Tap Manage apps.
- Tap Update all and let the downloads finish.
Android Police also suggests restarting the watch once the updates are installed. That tip is Android Police’s, not part of Google’s instructions, but it costs nothing to try.
Why you might not see an update yet
Google is rolling the fix out in stages, and says it will finish over the next couple of days. If the Play Store shows nothing pending today, that’s expected. Check again later rather than assuming the fix has failed.
Don’t look for it under Settings > System > System updates either. Google’s help page treats system updates separately from app updates, and this fix uses the app route.
What Google still hasn’t said
Google hasn’t named the app that caused the drain, or the version that fixes it. Android Authority and Android Police both infer that a system app was responsible, but that’s their reading, not Google’s.
Google describes the affected group as a small number of users. Owner reports, however, span the Pixel Watch 2 through the Pixel Watch 5. Owners described battery life falling from a day or two to roughly 12 to 16 hours.
Without a named app or version number, owners can’t easily confirm which update carries the fix. The practical answer is to run Update all now, and again over the next few days until the rollout completes.
Sources: Android Authority, Google Pixel Watch Help, Android Police
