Pixel Watch 3 will continue the 3-year device upgrade trend

Google’s new Pixel Watch 3 (in two sizes this year) is just around the corner, and with it, we have updated info regarding the software support timeline: three years of “guaranteed software updates.” While it may be a tad bit unrealistic to expect Google’s whopping 7 years of support for Pixel phones to migrate over to wearables, I suppose we were hoping for a bit more longevity this time around with Apple Watches tending to get anywhere from 4-6 years of software support.

The official language says the Pixel Watch 3 will see updates “until at least October 2027”. To be fair, this matches the support given to the original Pixel Watch and the Pixel Watch 2, so it’s not exactly a surprise. Still, a bit of a longer update cycle would be nice. With Google giving such a broader update window to Pixel Phones, the disparity is pretty big, here.

Another thing that strikes me as a tad curious is how Google handles the language around Wear OS updates. They don’t distinguish between Android version updates and security updates; it’s all bundled together as “guaranteed software updates.” This makes it a bit hard to predict exactly what kind of new features and improvements we can expect down the line as these new watches age.

Three years of updates for the Pixel Watch 3 isn’t bad, I suppose, but it’s definitely not turning any heads or creating consumer trust. We’d love to see Google step up their game and give their wearables similar long-term support they give their phones. The trend is only continuing to see more people sticking with their personal tech for longer periods. Forced obsolescence is no longer the way to go.