Older Pixel Watches get a new charging screen

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

As seen in the Pixel Watch image posted by Reddit user u/_Intel_Geek At the top left, the updated look is now accessible to older devices. ccompared to the image to the right of the old charging screen, tThe updated design is largely the same aesthetically, but includes more details.

First, Google has eliminated the animated ring of 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 numerical value for the device’s charge level and the current time, stacked in the middle. The time is now white instead of matching the color of the progress ring, and the ring itself is green instead of blue.

The new design also includes more useful data, including an estimate of how long the device needs to be left on the charger to reach full battery. This can be very useful for users who are trying to manage their time without the device. Unlike before, the day and date no longer appear at the bottom of the screen, but appear to the left of the time, while the month appears on the right. If a user has a timer running, the timer will take over the left side of the screen, with the day and date moving together to the right side. Again, the changes are subtle, but it’s exciting to see older devices being updated in some capacity.