r/PixelWatch

Been using the PW4 for a while now, great for sleep tracking and general health metrics, but it's really lacking on the running side of things and I there are two major things they could fix on the software side.

1. Pace/distance tracking is inaccurate on certain types of runs, most notably intervals. The PW4 has dual-band GPS but people still report inaccuracies, and based on a few threads in this sub it seems like it's because FitBit uses a combination of GPS and the accelerometer and/or stride length to calculate distance travelled. The workaround is just using a third party app like Ghostracer or Gear Tracker II which both track exclusively off the GPS. FitBit (soon to be Google Health) should just disregard accelerometer/stride data when calculating distance and pace and rely solely on the GPS, or at least give us the option to choose this manually for ourselves.
2. The workout view screen is too limited. Give us the option to customise the appearance (eg: displaying a preferred metric such as heartrate or pace in a giant font as the main focus). Allow us to setup multiple workout view pages. I actually don't mind the HR zone bar, but the zones themselves should be editable rather than working off some arbitrary default set.

The phone app says that the ECG is ready to go but the app fails every time on the watch and ask me to restart the app.

I have tried every "fix" I can find online. Fitbit support sent me a list of fixes that didn't work. According to the help desk agent it is a problem that is known and "We are working on a fix". And please be patient.

Anybody else?

After upgrading from Fitbit to Google Health I can no longer see oxygen variation stat in my sleep results, anyone else?

Does anyone know what the different color sensors on the PW4 do?

I know green is HR, but I have also seen a red and yellow sensor at times (particularly at night).

I think I saw somewhere that the red is Blood Oxygen, but dunno about the yellow. It also looks like there are 2 more sensors on the bottom too (haven't seen them light up though).

Most tech reviewers test smartwatches by sitting at a desk, receiving a few notifications, and concluding that the battery "easily lasts a day." But if you actually bought this watch for its intended purpose—comprehensive health tracking and daily fitness monitoring—that lazy analysis doesn’t hold up.

​After conducting a meticulous drain test from 100% to empty, logging every activity and battery drop, here is the unfiltered truth about the Pixel Watch 4’s battery life from the perspective of an active, fitness-focused user.

​I don’t buy a premium smartwatch just to mirror phone notifications. My primary reason for wearing one is dedicated health and sports tracking. My typical routine over this 33-hour cycle includes:

- ​Indoor workouts: ~50 minutes of fast running/walking on a treadmill.

- ​Outdoor workouts: Nearly 3 hours of outdoor walking (split into two sessions) with my dogs, requiring continuous GPS tracking.

- ​Continuous Health Monitoring: Heart rate tracking second-by-second, step counting, and full overnight sleep tracking (including SpO2 and HRV).

- ​The Only Compromise: I keep the Always-On Display (AOD) TURNED OFF to maximize efficiency.

​The Reality...

​Google advertises up to 40 hours of battery life with AOD enabled, and they even claim the battery can survive a full marathon with GPS active.

​During my test, the watch survived exactly 33 hours and 17 minutes before hitting 5%. Remember, this was with the AOD turned off. The savings from keeping the screen off didn't give me extra days; instead, it acted as a "buffer" to fund the high energy cost of my workouts. If I had turned AOD on, the watch would have died mid-day.

​My testing revealed how the hardware handles different types of exercise:

• ​Indoor Tracking (Treadmill): Extremely Efficient. When tracking a 49-minute run indoors, the watch only uses motion sensors and the heart rate monitor. The battery drop was a mere 3% (about 4.4% per hour). Under a roof, without the screen fighting the sun, the efficiency is outstanding.

• ​Outdoor Tracking (GPS): The Battery Killer. The moment you step outside and the satellite antenna turns on, the narrative changes. Continuous GPS tracking burns between 7.5% and 8.5% of battery per hour. A single 1-hour-and-47-minute walk with my dogs drained a massive 14% of the entire tank.

​I would call the Battery, Not Bad, Not Great—Just "Functional"

​I wouldn't call the Pixel Watch 4 battery bad, but I certainly wouldn't call it good. It is strictly functional.

​If you miss a single charge window, you will not make it through the next day. Because the charging curve slows down significantly at the end to protect the battery, simply putting the watch on the puck for 15 minutes while you shower in the morning isn't enough—it will only recoup about 30% to 40%, leaving you stranded by evening.

​To make this watch work for an active lifestyle, you have to adopt a strategic dual-charge routine:

​- Every night charge it for a bit before going to bed so it can comfortably track your sleep without morning anxiety.

​- I'm the morning give it at least 25 minutes on the charger in the morning to top it off to 100% before you leave the house.

​The Google Pixel Watch 4 is an excellent smartwatch with top-tier health metrics, a beautiful design, and incredibly accurate tracking. However, its power management needs improvement.

​While competitors like OnePlus or Xiaomi use massive batteries or dual-processor architectures to deliver 3 to 6 days of battery life, Google forces active users to become energy managers. If you are willing to manage your charging habits like clockwork, the watch is highly functional. But if you expect a multi-day fitness companion that matches Google's carefree marketing claims, you might find yourself staring at a black screen.

This is still anecdotal, but it's happened twice so far. When I go to the office, I have an uninterrupted cycle to my local station and then a stop-start cycle on a Santander bike in London from the station to the office. I have auto pause enabled for cycling activity.

The cycle to my local station always records properly as it's in a rural area so I don't have to stop for lights. When I cycle in London, I frequently have to stop and whenever I do, I feel the watch vibrate to tell me it's paused. Once I reach the office, I stop the exercise and it seems to save it.

However, when I try to look at the workout on the phone app, the London bike ride is not there. My cardio load has gone up from the exercise, but no logged workout. So I try to see if it's on the watch's Fitbit app. Nope, it's not there either! This has happened to me on 2 different days now.

For now I've disabled auto pause to see if that fixes the issue. Wondering if others have had the same experience.

Hello, I'm got my PW3 today and I wanted to try the ECG function but when I click on the app it says "reopen the app and try again". I tried resetting the watch to factory settings, updating the firmware, I updated every app on the watch, I made sure I te fitbit app and the pixelwatch app had all authorizations, I deinstalled the fitbit app and reinstalled it again, I made sure my region and my age were correct but nothing seems to work. I used the quick register with google so I didnt habe to open an account on fitbit. Maybe the ECG sensor was broken on arrival? I hope someone can help me.