Leak: Google Pixel Watch will adopt handy Apple Watch feature

The Google Pixel Watch ($399 on Amazon) can already unlock a Pixel smartphone, eliminating the need to enter a password or use the fingerprint sensor to use the smartphone. Android Authority has now found evidence in the code of the Pixel-exclusive Connected Phone & Watch app that it will also be possible in the future to unlock the smartwatch using the smartphone.

This feature is already familiar from the Apple Watch – when the paired iPhone is unlocked via Face ID, the Apple Watch is also unlocked, eliminating the need to enter a PIN. The code suggests that this feature must first be enabled manually, which requires entering the PIN on the smartwatch to verify that the user is the owner of the Pixel Watch. Afterward, the Pixel Watch will automatically unlock whenever the smartphone is unlocked using a passcode or the fingerprint sensor, so it will no longer be necessary to enter the Pixel Watch’s PIN separately.

This saves time, as the Pixel Watch requires a PIN every time it is removed from the wrist, which happens regularly given its battery life of just over a day. Since this feature is part of a Pixel-exclusive app, it will likely only be available in conjunction with a Pixel smartphone. It is not yet known when Google will release this feature, or with which Pixel Watch models and Pixel smartphones the feature will be compatible.