GoKawiilJoe Maring / Android Authority
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TL;DR Pixel Watch 5 gets its first update with September security fixes and software improvements.
Google highlights Gemini’s personalized, offline, and proactive capabilities on the watch.
Expanded hand gestures make navigating the watch faster and more hands-free.
Google recently gave Pixel Watch 5 owners something to tinker with by publishing the smartwatch’s factory images. Now, the company is rolling out the watch’s first software update with new security fixes, bumping the firmware from CD5A.260611.008 to CP3A.260905.002.
The September update keeps the Pixel Watch 5 on Wear OS 7, based on Android 17, and Google says it will roll out in phases by carrier and device. But this first update has an odd twist. Despite the new firmware build, Google’s extensive changelog mostly reads like a recap of the software features that arrived with the Pixel Watch 5 at launch.
Rather than highlighting new features, Google has published an extensive rundown covering Gemini Personalization, Proactive Suggestions, Offline Gemini, improved Raise to Talk, GPS tracking improvements, and expanded hand gestures.
Those are all useful additions, but they aren’t exactly September surprises. Much of this functionality was already part of the Pixel Watch 5 launch experience, making Google’s first update feel more like a software recap than a conventional feature drop.
Still, the changelog highlights how much Google is trying to reduce the time you spend poking at the watch’s tiny display. The Pixel Watch 5 can use a wrist-turn gesture as universal back navigation. At the same time, a double pinch can open notifications and At a Glance, scroll through Gemini responses and workout metrics, switch Google Maps views, and interact with apps including Wallet and Recorder.
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