Android for your wrist is getting an upgrade today, assuming you have a Pixel Watch. Google says Wear OS 7 is a major update that brings Gemini Intelligence to the latest models. It’s not all AI, though. For starters, Google claims Pixel Watch users can expect a 10 percent battery life boost after the update.
The new software, based on Android 17, ports several notable phone features to wearables, including live notifications. You can now track your DoorDash orders or check sports scores at a glance. The audio source picker from phones is also coming over to the Pixel Watch. For developers, Wear OS will make it easier to adapt phone-optimized widgets for the smaller wearable screen.
The initial rollout won’t include Gemini Intelligence (with the new Neural Expressive interface), but Google says that’s slated for the coming months. When it arrives, you’ll have features like the AI-powered Create My Widget and multi-step app automation. The idea that you’ll be able to hand Gemini a complex task like booking concert tickets from a watch screen is suspect, though. That doesn’t even work very well on phones where you can keep an eye on the robot’s meandering.
Ready, set, wait
It usually takes a few weeks for new Android versions to reach all eligible Pixel devices. This time around, the new OS is available for all Tensor-powered Pixels, starting with the Pixel 6 series and running through the current Pixel 10. You can’t force the OTA update, but you can sideload the new OS via a full system image or an OTA file from Google’s developer pages. Even if you do that, some of the more interesting features, like foldable gaming controls and Pause Point, won’t be available yet.
For anyone with a non-Pixel Android phone, the wait will be much longer. Samsung will probably begin updating its latest phones in a couple of months, followed by other OEMs like Motorola and OnePlus. Current-gen phones are likely to be first in line for updates, but given the relative lack of Android 17-specific features, you’re not missing much. Google will continue to release most new Android features via apps, Play Services, and OEM partnerships.
We also expect another major Android 17 release in late 2026, focused on API and developer changes.
