Affiliate links on Android Authority may earn us a commission. Learn more.
US Pixel Watch 3 users still left waiting for a key safety feature
- In addition to big updates for Pixel phones, Google’s October 2024 Pixel Drop includes some important upgrades for Pixel Watch users.
- Loss of Pulse Detections expands to more regions including Belgium, Italy, and Spain, but not the US.
- Additional updates include a new Contact Tile and Emoji email reactions, both available now to all generations of Pixel Watch.
Commencing its October 2024 Pixel Drop today, Google rolled out new features across the Pixel ecosystem, including Android 15 and some noteworthy updates for Pixel Watch users. Unfortunately, though, one headlining feature remains out of reach for US users.
When Google launched the Pixel Watch 3 this past August, one of the more unique tools introduced on the lineup was the device’s new Loss of Pulse detection. A potentially life-saving health feature, Loss of Pulse detection can identify if a user’s heart stops beating due to an emergency like cardiac arrest, poisoning, or respiratory arrest. The tool then notifies emergency services automatically to ascertain help. However, Loss of Pulse detection originally landed with only regional availability and a vague promise of further expansion in the months to follow. Today, Google rolled out the feature to users in Belgium, Italy, and Spain, but left US Pixel Watch 3 users still waiting.
So far, we’ve had no update as to when we can expect to see the tool available on US wrists. With the addition of the new regions, Loss of Pulse detection is available in the UK, France, Austria, Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland. Google is possibly still awaiting regulatory approvals to bring he feature to the US.
With that said, the Pixel Drop did include a few new tools that even US users can enjoy.
First, Google introduced a new Contact Tile to help keep contacts more accessible. The new customizable tile supports quick actions for calling, messaging, and opening the contact details of your chosen friends or family members. It’s available now on all generations of Pixel Watch running Wear OS 3 or newer. Likewise, Google also added Emoji email reactions to the user experience across all Pixel Watches. Now you can send quick emoji responses from the wrist in the Gmail app. These upgrades highlight the strength of the Pixel Watch line as a thoroughly Google device with access to the company’s top apps and services.