Fitbit Air, Pixel and Galaxy Watches will double as a controllers for Android XR glasses

As we covered earlier today when pre-orders went live for Google and Samsung’s Intelligent Eyewear, these new Gemini-powered glasses are shaping up to be the most natural, everyday entry point into the Android XR ecosystem yet. Starting at $395 with frames from Warby Parker and Gentle Monster, they skip the bulky headset vibe in favor of something you’d actually want to wear out in public.

While the glasses come with a built-in touchpad right on the arms for navigating menus and interacting with Gemini, Google quietly confirmed a pretty slick hardware synergy: you’ll be able to control your Android XR glasses using wearables you might already own.

According to a new report from 9to5Google, Google has confirmed that both the Pixel Watch and Samsung Galaxy Watch, along with the popular $99 Fitbit Air will eventually support gesture controls for Android XR glasses; effectively acting as a dedicated neural control band without making you buy another accessory.

How wearable gesture controls will work

If you’ve used a recent Pixel Watch or Galaxy Watch, you already know they both use onboard sensors to detect subtle hand movements like finger pinches and wrist flicks. During Google’s Android XR demos, those exact types of pinch gestures were shown off to handle basic tasks like playing and pausing music.

While Google hasn’t shared the full list of supported gestures just yet, the expectation is that wrist-based controls will mirror much of what you can do on the frames’ built-in touchpads. Having the option to subtly pinch your fingers by your side – rather than constantly reaching up to tap the side of your glasses in public – makes the whole hands-free experience feel a lot more natural.

Rollout timeline and Galaxy Watch support

Depending on what’s currently on your wrist, the timeline for getting this feature varies a bit:

• Pixel Watch: Gesture support will be ready right around the glasses’ December 10 launch window.
• Samsung Galaxy Watch: Given that Samsung built the hardware alongside Google, Galaxy Watch models will also get gesture support when paired with Samsung devices.
• Fitbit Air: Support for Google’s budget-friendly tracker won’t arrive until sometime in 2027.

Even with the wait for the Fitbit Air, bringing gesture controls to a $99 tracker is a smart move – especially when competing solutions like Meta’s Neural Band run $199 on their own. Between seamless Google ecosystem integration, legitimate prescription frame options, and now wrist-based gesture controls using hardware many of us already wear daily, Google is making a strong case for why its take on smart glasses might actually stick.