Google just scared some Pixel Watch owners, but there's good news

Some first-generation Pixel Watch owners got a rude shock yesterday after seeing a warning suggesting their smartwatch was about to lose support for Google Health sync. Folks took to Reddit to express their concerns and frustration with Google’s supposed move. However, the company has now confirmed that the warning was shown by mistake and that the original Pixel Watch remains supported.

The wording of the warning was particularly alarming, given that the original Pixel Watch is now several years old and has long since been replaced by newer generations.

Thankfully, Google has confirmed that no such shutdown is planned.

“We spotted this, too, and can confirm that the Google Health App and Coach fully support legacy Pixel Watch and Fitbit devices,” a Google spokesperson told Android Authority. “We are aware of a bug that was incorrectly showing a message to some users, and it has been fixed.”

In other words, if you own a first-generation Pixel Watch and saw the warning, there’s no need to panic. Google says the message was the result of a bug rather than an indication that support for the watch was being discontinued.

That said, there’s an important software requirement to keep in mind. Google says the Google Health app requires Wear OS 4 or later on Pixel Watch and other Wear OS devices.

The original Pixel Watch received the Wear OS 4 update, so compatible devices should meet that requirement. If you’re unsure which version your watch is running, Google says you can check it under Settings > System > About > Versions. Updates can also be checked directly on the watch under Settings > System > About > System updates, or in the Play Store for Wear OS updates.