Hadlee Simons / Android Authority
TL;DR Samsung’s Galaxy Watches are having trouble connecting to Pixel 10 series phones right now.
The issue seems widespread, and we can also confirm our Galaxy Watch 8 Classic refuses to pair with our Pixel 10 Pro XL unit.
Google seems to be aware of the problem, but it’s unclear if a fix is coming anytime soon.
If you just picked up a shiny new Pixel 10 series phone and tried pairing it with your Galaxy Watch, chances are you’re running into some connectivity trouble. Reports are piling up across Reddit and Google’s support forums that Samsung’s watches, especially the Galaxy Watch 8 series, Galaxy Watch 7 series, and Galaxy Watch Ultra, simply refuse to connect to Google’s flagships over Bluetooth, and we can confirm the issue is very real.
On our end, a Galaxy Watch 8 Classic wouldn’t pair at all with the Pixel 10 Pro XL. The setup stops dead at the pairing code stage, whether through the Galaxy Wearable app or manual Bluetooth settings. Resetting the watch and reinstalling Samsung Health as well as the Galaxy Wearable app didn’t help either. We also didn’t have any luck pairing the two together after installing the latest September update on the Pixel 10 Pro XL. Meanwhile, the watch pairs perfectly fine with Samsung’s own phones like the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Flip 7, so the problem seems limited to Pixel 10 devices.
Adamya Sharma / Android Authority Error that appears when trying to pair Galaxy Watch 8 Classic with Pixel 10 Pro XL
And it’s not just us. Users are flooding forums with similar complaints. One Galaxy Watch Ultra owner wrote:
“I am having serious issues in pairing the phone with the Samsung Watch Ultra. The pairing stops around 85% and then continues to search for a Bluetooth device. The watch has been updated to the August security patch yesterday, and after that had noticed significant battery drain. As a result, reset the watch and has lead to pairing issues.”
Others are reporting the same headaches:
“Literally everyone on the new Pixel 10. Hit the search button. Forums are full of it. No fix yet. Yesterday’s security patch did nothing for me.”
“Moved my Watch8 classic over to the 10 Pro XL and it worked fine for a couple of hours, and then, the Galaxy Wearable app stopped detecting the watch. Rebooted the watch and phone and after a bit it was only connecting remotely via Wi-Fi. Factory reset the watch, and now it won’t complete the setup process at all.”
“Same issue with 2024 ultra and 10 Pro XL. Very likely because of the full new Android update.”
“Not just Ultra 8, I have Ultra 7 watch, have Pixel 10 pro, not connecting via Bluetooth! I had a Pixel 9 and did the latest update to Android 16 to it and no problem connecting! It is only with the 10 pro not connecting.”
Interestingly, some people have found workarounds. One user managed to connect their Galaxy Watch 7 after reinstalling Samsung Health.
“I got the same Problem with my GW7 and Pixel 10 Pro. I reinstalled Samsung Health and then it worked normally.”
However, for us and many others, that trick doesn’t seem to fix the issue.
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Google seems to be aware of the ongoing situation. In its official support forums, a product expert confirmed:
“Thanks for confirming. The team is already looking into the pairing failures with Pixel 10 Pro XL and I’ll update this thread once there’s more information to share.”
For now, if you’re trying to pair your Galaxy Watch 8, Ultra, or even older models with a Pixel 10, you’ll probably need to wait or try multiple workarounds to make it happen. Hopefully, a future software update from Google or Samsung will smooth things out. Since both companies work closely on Wear OS, a fix should be on the way sooner rather than later.
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