Adamya Sharma / Android Authority
TL;DR Google appears to be working on new gestures for Pixel Watches.
We’ve found clear code evidence suggesting Google is developing double-pinch and wrist-turn gestures for its smartwatches.
Wrist gestures used to be a thing up until Wear OS 3, and Google’s version of double-pinch is identical to what Apple and Samsung offer on their respective watches.
Pixel Watch users have been asking for better gesture controls for years, and it looks like Google is finally answering their call. Ever since the Pixel Watch 4 introduced Raise to Talk for summoning Gemini, users, including yours truly, have hoped Google would expand its capabilities into more intuitive wrist and finger-based controls. After all, wrist gestures were a thing in the early Android Wear era before being quietly dropped them during the transition to Wear OS. Meanwhile, rivals like Samsung and Apple have offered gestures such as double-tap/double-pinch, fist tap, and more for years now. Well, it looks like the Pixel Watch will finally catch up to its competition real soon.
In the Pixel Watch app (v4.2.0.833802130), we’ve discovered clear code evidence suggesting that Google is preparing new double-pinch and wrist-turn gestures for Pixel Watches.
We’ve not yet managed to enable these gestures, and there’s no indication of which Pixel Watch models will support them. However, the code strings explicitly confirm what these gestures will do.
New Pixel Watch gestures
Rita El Khoury / Android Authority
Currently, the Pixel Watch 4 supports six gestures, including Raise to Talk, Tilt-to-Wake, Touch-to-wake, Rotate crown to wake, Touch & hold watch face to change, and Screenshot (by pressing the crown and side button at the same time). The code we’ve discovered shows that the first major addition to this list could be a brand-new double-pinch gesture. The strings describe it as a multipurpose tool to answer calls, interact with notifications, take photos, and more.
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