GoKawiilKaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority
TL;DR Right now, Pixel Watches let you turn on Fall Detection without a Google account linked to the wearable.
Google appears to be preparing some new messages informing users of an account requirement to continue using the feature.
There should be a multi-day grace period before Google disables access.
For most of us, signing into a Google account is just second nature when setting up a new device — we want access to our email, our apps, our photos, and everything we’ve backed up to the cloud. But there’s also a lot you can get done without one, if you’re opting out or just putting off logging in for whatever reason. But if you want to use some of the Pixel Watch‘s best safety features, it looks like you won’t be able to hide under the cloak of anonymity for much longer.
Google introduced Fall Detection a few months after the inaugural Pixel Watch arrived, and it’s been supported on all subsequent Pixel Watch models to date. And as you can see here on a Pixel Watch 3, the wearable lets you activate the feature even if you haven’t yet added a Google Account:
Based on some new strings we’re finding in version 4.4.0.897056328 of the Pixel Watch app, Google looks like it’s about to get much more strict about requiring an account.
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Google’s getting ready to start showing messages to Pixel Watch users about new sign-in requirements for Fall Detection:
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