Affiliate links on Android Authority may earn us a commission. Learn more.
Google could soon take away an important Pixel Watch 2 and 3 safety feature
Google may be getting ready to drop Safety Signal from the older smartwatches.
By
•
•
•
Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority
Add Android Authority on Google:
Preferred SourceGoogle Discover
TL;DR
- Google is getting ready to remove Safety Signal from the Pixel Watch 2 and Pixel Watch 3 LTE.
- The feature provides cellular connectivity for the watches, enabling safety features when users are away from their phones and don’t have a watch carrier plan.
- The latest Pixel Watch app update confirms the feature is going away, but Google hasn’t revealed when or what will replace it.
It looks like Google is getting ready to remove the Safety Signal feature from the Pixel Watch 2 and Pixel Watch 3 LTE models.
Safety Signal is a Google Health Premium subscription service that provides LTE connectivity to supported Pixel Watches when they don’t have an active carrier plan. It’s designed to keep certain safety features working when you’re away from your phone and don’t have cellular service on your watch.
The service can provide connectivity for calls to and from emergency contacts, Safety Check, Emergency Sharing, Emergency SOS, and Fall
Detection.
You’re reading an Authority Insights story. Authority Insights brings you all the latest exclusive reports, app teardowns, leaks, and in-depth tech coverage from the Android Authority team that you won’t find anywhere else.
We’ve spotted code strings in the latest Google Pixel Watch app update, version 5.1.0.990450614, warning users that the feature is being discontinued. Google hasn’t yet revealed exactly when Safety Signal will stop working.
<string name="safety_signal_deprecation_prompt_card_title">Safety signal is going away</string><string name="safety_signal_deprecation_prompt_card_subtitle">This feature will no longer be available soon.
To learn how this affects your watch and find other ways to stay safe, read the full article</string>Safety Signal is currently available in the US, Canada, the UK, and Germany. On the Pixel Watch 2 and Pixel Watch 3 LTE, users could use the service without signing up for a separate carrier plan for their watch.
The upcoming change means owners who rely on Safety Signal will need to look at other options for connectivity. Google notes that users with an existing carrier plan on their watch don’t need Safety Signal, since their carrier connection provides the connectivity required for emergency calls when they’re away from their phone.
It isn’t clear yet whether Google plans to replace Safety Signal with another service or simply discontinue the benefit. The new Pixel Watch app strings only confirm that the feature is going away and don’t provide a specific shutdown date.
⚠️ An APK teardown helps predict features that may arrive on a service in the future based on work-in-progress code. However, it is possible that such predicted features may not make it to a public release.
Authority InsightsNews
Authority InsightsGoogleGoogle Pixel WatchGoogle Pixel Watch 2Google Pixel Watch 3
Follow
Thank you for being part of our community. Read our Comment Policy before posting.
