Older Pixel Watches are getting a new charging screen

Pixel Watch and Pixel Watch 2 users may notice a new look the next time they plug their smartwatch in. The devices can now access the more informative charging screen introduced with the Pixel Watch 3.

As can be seen in the Pixel Watch image posted by Reddit user u/_Intel_Geek above left, the updated look is now accessible to older devices. Compared to the image on the right of the old charging screen, the updated design is largely the same aesthetically but features more details.

First, Google eliminated the animated ring of the old in favor of a more static progress ring. The only animation of the new screen occurs at the beginning when you first open it. However, like the old design, the new screen still displays a numeric value for the charge level of the device and the current time stacked in the center. The time is now white rather than matching in color to the progress ring and the ring itself is green rather than blue.

The new design also packs in more useful data including an estimate of how long the device needs to remain on the charger to reach a full battery. This can be very helpful for users trying to manage their time with the device off-wrist.  Unlike in the past, the day and date no longer appear at the bottom of the screen, instead appearing on the left of the time with the month displayed on the right. If a user has a timer in progress, the timer will take over the left side of the screen, bumping the day and date together onto the right side. Again, the changes are subtle but it is exciting to see older devices updated in any capacity.