Google's Pixel Watch is getting a major upgrade with an update that brings more functionality to its always-on display (AOD). The update adds support for timers, stopwatches, and media controls, enhancing the user experience on the watch's AOD. This improvement comes as part of the Google Clock app update, which is now exclusive to Pixel devices. The update is rolling out as part of Google Clock version 6.11, and it's not widely available yet, but some users have reported gaining access to the feature after updating the Google Clock app to version 6.11. Others are seeing version 6.10 of the Google Clock app as the newest available version for their Pixel Watch, suggesting this is a limited rollout for now. The Pixel Watch's AOD previously involved darkening open apps and showing a generic digital clock in front of them. With the update, stopwatches and timers can continue when the AOD is active, and media controls, including play/pause and next/previous, are now supported with Material 3 Expressive flair. However, there are some limitations to the Clock app's new AOD capabilities. Some frequently-updating graphics and fields are omitted when the AOD is active, such as the countdown ring for timers and the number of seconds remaining. While stopwatches keep the second counter, they also lose the ring. Users can try to force the Google Clock update on their Pixel Watch by opening the Google Play Store on their smartwatch and scrolling all the way to the bottom, where they'll find a Manage apps button. After tapping it, they can check for a Google Clock update. If available, they should follow the on-screen prompts to install it.
