Pixel Watches and Buds should have a ‘Check for update’ button, just like phones

Every time Google announces a new update for my Pixel Watch or Buds, I get irritated. Of course, I want the new features — I live for these; I work for these. But my irritation stems from the fact that there’s no way for me, and nerds like me, to get the update as soon as it rolls out. No, we have to twiddle our thumbs and wait for the Google server gods to grace it upon our smartwatches or earbuds.

So, I get into a funk for a few days and keep manually checking for an update. First, a few times an hour, then a few times a day, and then the frequency of checks dwindles down until I nearly forget about the update. But my watch is adamant that it’s up to date. It’s not until a few weeks later, when I’ve forgotten what the update was supposed to bring and when I’ve lost my excitement and will to dig into it to see if there’s anything else interesting, that I get the notification that a new update is waiting for me.

Sigh. Apply. Reboot. Cool, I suppose?

By then, I’m more than likely to check the one or two features I still remember from the changelog and then move on. Zero excitement.

This is happening again with the March Pixel Drop. I’d very much love to try the new Fitbit period tracking on my watch; I’d also like to see if the new music controls that are supposed to improve podcast listening work with Pocket Casts. But alas, I can’t force the update. So I wait.

What annoys me is that Google has already fixed this on Pixel and Android phones. On my phone, if an update is available, I can “force” it by tapping on Check for update. Google always rolls out updates in small batches to catch bugs before the software hits more people, but even if the server lottery hadn’t initially chosen my particular phone to receive the update first, this button tells Google that I’d very much like to be one of the first people to try it, so it triggers the download. Every time a monthly security update or a Pixel Drop over-the-air update is released for my Android phone, I get it on day one. So why not watches or earbuds?

Over the last years, I’ve tried a dozen witch remedies shared in the back alleys of Reddit to try to trigger updates for my Pixel Watch and Pixel Buds, with little success.

For the Pixel Watch original, Watch 2, or Watch 3, you can supposedly trigger the update by tapping an inordinate amount of times until your fingers hurt (no one knows the number) on the tiny watch icon on the Your watch is up to date screen. Just when you think nothing is going to happen, the watch tells you there’s an update waiting for you. Apparently, your odds are better if you disable Bluetooth and keep Wi-Fi on. Some people swear this works for them, but I haven’t managed to get it working for me. Maybe I get bored and exit that screen right before it triggers the update? But I’ll keep trying it until, hopefully, one day, it gets that darned update for me!

For the Pixel Buds, one of the home remedies says you should open the case, keep the buds in, turn off automatic updates for about 30 minutes, and close the case. 30 minutes later, pop open the case again and turn automatic updates back on. Another strategy involves opening the Firmware update setting update, opening the case, and taking the buds out, which should switch the Up to date status to Last checked 0 minutes ago, i.e., it should force check for an update. These have randomly worked for me in the past year.

Now, contrast these silly workarounds with the simplicity of a manual Check for update button. Oh, how easy would it be to just tap that and force Google to send the update to my watch or buds?

Time to fix this, Google. Just add a manual button instead of letting us, early adopters and certified nerds, wait for weeks and lose interest before the update gets to us. We’re also the most likely people to catch bugs and raise issues, so it’s a win-win for everyone. Deal?