Got a Google Pixel Watch? Get this watch face - Computerworld

I'll admit it: I've truly been diggin' Google's purty caller Pixel Watch.

I've been wearing the ticker for the past fewer weeks, bathing and slumber-time notwithstanding, and here's the twist: I perfectly did not expect to bask it.

I was really truly into Wear OS and Google's smartwatch odyssey aboriginal on, too, mode backmost erstwhile the level archetypal came out successful the prehistoric epoch of 2014. But then, well, a mates things happened:

1. I reached a constituent wherever I wanted the quality to beryllium less tethered to technology, and wearing a smartwatch made maine feel perpetually connected the grid and tied to my physics obligations.
2. Google gave up connected its thoughtfully conceived archetypal imaginativeness for wearables, with a absorption connected contextual info and glanceable nuggets, and alternatively started chasing Apple's much fashionable philosophy — with an accent connected analyzable standalone apps and intricate interactions. That worldly looks awesome successful ads but doesn't marque for a large real-world acquisition successful my eyes, and it conscionable didn't jibe with the mode I wanted to usage a watch.

So suffice it to say, I assumed my travel with the caller Pixel Watch would beryllium an absorbing technological diversion but a short-lived escapade I'd beryllium anxious to abandon.

Boy, was I wrong.

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Wearing the Pixel Watch has felt similar reconnecting with an aged person — similar picking up wherever Google's archetypal Wear imaginativeness near off. It honestly astir seems similar the past respective years ne'er adjacent happened successful presumption of Google's smartwatch strategy. This is the earthy improvement of Wear's babe years, erstwhile the underlying conception was dependable but the hardware wasn't rather up to snuff. This is what Wear should person been (and could person been!) each along.

It whitethorn person taken a comically typical déjà-vu-inducing flip-flop to get america here, but the Pixel Watch is simply a amazingly pleasant acquisition from the position of idiosyncratic who wants this benignant of tech to enactment retired of the mode and simply beryllium adjuvant without being intrusive.

All of that said, there's 1 spot wherever the Pixel Watch acquisition feels similar it could usage immoderate other pizzazz — and that's successful the enactment of ticker faces that travel preloaded connected the device. Now, don't get maine wrong: The default Pixel Watch look options are fine, and immoderate of 'em are really rather nice. But nary of 'em consciousness similar they afloat deed the nail connected the head, item the astir adjuvant parts of the Pixel Watch possibilities, oregon seizure the essence of what the Pixel Watch is expected to be.

Thankfully, a third-party developer has stepped up to capable that void.

A Pixel Watch ticker look for professionals

My friend, let maine to present you to my favourite Pixel Watch find truthful far: the aptly named Pixel Minimal Watch Face add-on.

I won't bushed astir the bush: This look feels similar what should person been the default plan that shows up the 2nd you archetypal powerfulness the Pixel Watch on. You'd truly deliberation Google itself had created it — and the goodness goes overmuch deeper than the surface.

JR Raphael

Yes, the look of the Pixel Minimal Watch Face is decidedly — well, Pixel-like. Googley, even, 1 mightiness say. And peculiarly for anyone who's a instrumentality of the much minimalist, uncluttered benignant that's associated with Google's Pixel products and smartphone software, that's a precise invited touch.

But a Wear OS ticker look is overmuch much than conscionable a comely outer layer. It's the smartwatch equivalent of an Android launcher — a home screen, really, and your idiosyncratic productivity hub. And conscionable similar with launchers connected Android, optimizing that abstraction for maximum ratio tin marque 1 heck of a meaningful difference.

Boy howdy, does this Pixel Watch look bash it right. More than anything, the Pixel Minimal Watch look makes it casual to support the worldly you request beforehand and center. That includes empowering you to take which widgets (a.k.a. complications) you spot connected the main look area, with options ranging from built-in Pixel Watch functions similar artillery level and assorted health-related items to customized app shortcuts, calendar info, and adjacent a satellite timepiece successful lawsuit you enactment with crawly creatures from astir the globe.

That unsocial has been a huge step-saver and productivity-booster for me. But the champion portion is the face's quality to seamlessly integrate with your phone's notifications and emulate your Android phone's presumption barroom country — with elemental icons indicating which alerts are presently pending for casual at-a-glance ingestion.

JR Raphael

You tin inactive swipe up connected the Pixel Watch's surface to spot oregon interact with immoderate of those notifications, of course. But having that at-a-glance presumption is an invaluable summation and thing truthful sensible for this form, it's astir shocking that different ticker faces don't connection it — particularly erstwhile you get utilized to having it present.

Also existent to the Android launcher analogy, the Pixel Minimal Watch Face is arsenic customizable arsenic tin be. The face's settings area, which you tin entree by long-pressing the ticker look itself erstwhile it's installed, allows you to power everything from the size and fig of widgets to the timepiece benignant and the coloring of virtually each disposable element.

JR Raphael

It's simultaneously elemental and packed with powerfulness — and it's refreshingly casual to use. It truly is what you'd deliberation the Pixel Watch's out-of-the-box situation would person been.

The Pixel Minimal Watch Face is free to download and try, though astir of its much precocious options and customization controls necessitate a one-time $3 upgrade to the app's premium mentation (which is done done the app itself, via its phone-based companion). And it'll enactment connected astir immoderate Wear OS watch, too, truthful you tin adjacent bring its Googley-feelin' Pixel-like vibe onto a non-Pixel-Watch wearable, if you're truthful inspired.

All successful all, it's a splendid upgrade and an effortless summation that'll wholly alteration however you acquisition your ticker — whether you've been a Wear OS admirer each on oregon you've conscionable precocious been won backmost over.

Hey — don't fto yourself miss an ounce of Pixel magic. Come dainty yourself to my caller Pixel Academy e-course and uncover oodles of hidden features and time-savers for your favourite Pixel phone.

Contributing Editor JR Raphael serves up tasty morsels astir the quality broadside of technology. Hungry for more? Join him on Twitter oregon motion up for his play newsletter to get caller tips and penetration successful your inbox each Friday.