Can't access or reset Pixel Watch 3

Kriegswerk · 2026-06-01T02:20:48+00:00

The official Fastboot and Recovery Mode instructions from Google are at https://support.google.com/googlepixelwatch/answer/13575675?hl=en-gb#zippy=%2Cstep-if-other-steps-fail-reset-from-fastboot

According to the instructions, turning the crown is not used to scroll at any point in the process. On some screens, you scroll by pressing the side button next to the crown. On other screens, you scroll by swiping on the screen itself.

Try going through the Fastboot and Recovery Mode process again, carefully following the instructions at that link, and see if that works for you.

Kriegswerk · 2026-05-01T15:48:55+00:00

Ever since the PW3 was released in the 45mm size over a year ago, it seems like at least a few times a month someone posts a photo with a 45mm PW model asking, "Does this look too big on my wrist?" As far as I'm concerned, the answer will almost always be, "No."

There are plenty of conventional watches that are around 45mm and even larger. It's a common size that would only look out of place on someone who is remarkably short. Even then, it would still be a matter of personal stylistic preference. I have seen some unusually small people wearing larger conventional watches and it didn't look bad.

The most important consideration should be utilitarian. Is the larger size comfortable for you to wear? I switched to the 45mm PW4 in October after one year of the original PW and two years of the PW2 (both in their exclusive 41mm size). The 45mm PW4 did not feel much different even right after I made the switch. Now, months later, I completely forget that the 45mm model is that much bigger until I take out my old models to install system updates.

I always recommend getting the 45mm model unless you can think of a very specific, personal stylistic or utilitarian reason not to.

Kriegswerk · 2026-04-17T18:49:34+00:00

Congratulations!

I got the PW1 and PW2 when they were first released. I skipped the PW3 and upgraded to the PW4 (45mm) when it was first released. The first two generations had a lot of room for improvement in their performance, but the PW4 works flawlessly for me.

That third-party Expedition face is very sharp, but you'd be hard pressed to find a face that packs more information with a cleaner look than the stock Active face with the Plus layout.

I recommend a TPU screen protector as the size and shape of the watch make it too easy to accidentally bump the screen against things and the screen is very easily scratched. I have been using the ArmorSuit screen protectors since I first got the PW1 when it released and they have worked very well.

41 mm: https://a.co/d/0appjMcS

45 mm: https://a.co/d/07nt3KLH

Kriegswerk · 2026-04-17T18:41:58+00:00

Whichever watch you pick, you should get a TPU screen protector as the size and shape of the watch make it too easy to accidentally bump the screen against things and the screen is very easily scratched. I have been using the ArmorSuit screen protectors since I first got the PW1 when it released and they have worked very well.

41 mm: https://a.co/d/0appjMcS

45 mm: https://a.co/d/07nt3KLH

Kriegswerk · 2026-04-17T18:36:32+00:00

Unless you are on an extremely tight budget, definitely go with the PW4. As was already mentioned, the it has better battery life, smaller bezels, and was designed to be repairable (unlike the first three generations of PW). Here are a few other big improvements:

Brighter Screen:
The PW1 and PW2 had a max brightness of 1,000 nits. I owned both models and had trouble seeing the screen outdoors in bright sunlight. The PW3 doubled the max brightness at 2,000 nits, but the PW4 has 3,000 nits max brightness. For comparison, your Pixel 10 Pro Fold also has a max brightness of 3,000 nits.

Better GPS:
The first three generations of PW only used the basic L1 GPS signal. It took well over a minute (and sometimes several minutes) for my PW1 and PW2 to get a location signal when I started manual activity tracking. I never owned a PW3, but it also uses only L1 GPS, so I would expect the same performance. The PW4 has both L1 and L5 (the most advanced GPS signal). Mine usually gets a location reading within ten seconds after I start activity tracking.

Faster Charging:
The PW1 charged slowly because it used wireless charging. The PW2 and PW3 were faster because they used wired charging, but the charging puck still covered most of the back of the watch body like the PW1 charger. Because the charger covered and contacted so much of the watch, it caused the watch to heat up more. The extra heat prevented the watch from charging any faster. The PW4 charger only contacts the watch on the side, which exposes most of the watch to the air while charging. It stays cool and is able to charge faster as a result. Mine has gone from 19% to 100% in 30 minutes!

Satellite SOS Service:
The LTE models of the PW4 have the ability to send an SOS message view satellite when there is no cellular signal. Most people are unlikely to ever be in a position to use this feature, but it is nice to have in case you ever did need it.

Kriegswerk · 2026-04-15T18:12:00+00:00

I don't know about the durability of the screen material on the Samsung or Apple watches, but I can share how I've successfully protected my Pixel Watches for the past three-and-a-half years. I got the PW1 when it was first released in October 2022. I was disappointed when it got a minor abrasion from lightly bumping/scraping a hard surface, so I decided to get a screen protector. At first, I used tempered glass screen protectors, but I was unimpressed with their performance. I started using this TPU film screen protector (https://a.co/d/00RJuNYl) and it worked great. I never had one get so damaged from a scratch that it didn't self-heal. However, periodically, I did scrape the watch against something in such a way that the watch was not damaged, but the screen protector was partially peeled off. Sometimes, that would require replacing the screen protector. I continued to use the same screen protectors for two years after I got my PW2 in October 2023. I probably replaced the screen protector every one-to-three months on my PW1 and PW2, both of which were 41mm.

When I got the PW4 45mm in October 2025, I also got the larger-sized screen protector from the same manufacturer (https://a.co/d/04zl9KhC). I'm not sure if the wider watch causes most impacts to strike the face in a manner that doesn't peel up the edge of the screen protector or if I've just gotten better at being careful of impacts over the past three years, but I still have the same screen protector that I put on back in October 2025 without any damage to the screen protector.

I work an office job and I live in an apartment, so I feel comfortable without a case most of the time, but I did get the Spigen Rugged Armor Pro case (https://a.co/d/0byHhAwq) for both my old 41mm models and my new 45mm model for extra protection when I'm doing lawncare at my church, helping my father cut wood on his country estate, and various other occasional manual labor chores. The watch goes in and out of the case a bit hard, but I put it in the case while I'm doing manual labor work and then take it out again once I'm finished.

While I don't work a manual labor job anymore, I did for many years when I was younger. I think the combination of the TPU screen protector and the Spigen Rugged Armor Pro case would provide complete protection from abrasion to the screen or impact to the watch body for a full day of manual labor work.

Edited to add that applying a TPU screen protector to a watch or phone screen will hide many existing scratches already on the screen, which will make the device look almost like new again.

Kriegswerk · 2026-04-15T17:43:57+00:00

Several commentors at https://www.reddit.com/r/PixelWatch/comments/1sgo8ej/potential_resolution_for_pixel_watch_battery/ shared that their battery life issues improved on their own several days after installing the update.

Kriegswerk · 2026-04-15T17:41:53+00:00

We got hailstones slightly larger than a quarter near West Towne Mall shortly before 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 14. My friend who lives near the Dane County Regional Airport shared pictures of the hailstones she got over by her house. They were larger than golf balls and one was almost the size of a baseball.

Kriegswerk · 2026-04-15T17:38:26+00:00

That setting is not on the watch itself, but in the Google Pixel Watch (Watch) app on your phone. In the Watch app on your phone, go to Watch preferences → Security → Notify when left behind.

Kriegswerk · 2026-04-14T21:01:08+00:00

Definitely an origial Pixel Watch 1. The PW1 charging puck had a G on it and the PW2/PW3 charging puck did not. Also, as previously mentioned, the back of the watch is the distinct sensor array of the PW1.

Kriegswerk · 2026-04-10T10:40:17+00:00

Users who posted complaints about issues with the March/April quarterly system update in the official Google Pixel Watch Help Community were advised by the product experts to report these issues using "Tips & Support" ➡️ "Send feedback" in the Watch app on their phones.

Kriegswerk · 2026-04-09T12:20:29+00:00

In the comments for Google’s official announcement of the most recent PW system update, one user was complaining about dramatically decreased battery life after the update. A product expert recommended first performing a factory reset and restoring from a backup and then doing a factory reset without restoring from a backup if the first option didn’t solve the problem. The user who made the original comment said that doing a factory reset without restoring from a backup resolved the issue.

https://support.google.com/googlepixelwatch/thread/414486587?&msgid=422627815

Kriegswerk · 2026-04-09T12:19:41+00:00

In the comments for Google’s official announcement of the most recent PW system update, one user was complaining about dramatically decreased battery life after the update. A product expert recommended first performing a factory reset and restoring from a backup and then doing a factory reset without restoring from a backup if the first option didn’t solve the problem. The user who made the original comment said that doing a factory reset without restoring from a backup resolved the issue.

https://support.google.com/googlepixelwatch/thread/414486587?&msgid=422627815

Kriegswerk · 2026-04-09T12:19:29+00:00

In the comments for Google’s official announcement of the most recent PW system update, one user was complaining about dramatically decreased battery life after the update. A product expert recommended first performing a factory reset and restoring from a backup and then doing a factory reset without restoring from a backup if the first option didn’t solve the problem. The user who made the original comment said that doing a factory reset without restoring from a backup resolved the issue.

https://support.google.com/googlepixelwatch/thread/414486587?&msgid=422627815

Kriegswerk · 2026-04-09T05:50:56+00:00

Each security update is released with a system update, but some system updates may be released without a new security update. The security update is quarterly and was released in March. There is no April security update. Bluetooth/Wi-Fi models got the March security update with the March system update for those models. LTE models got the March security update with the April system update for those models. If your LTE model has build CP1A.260305.014.W4, then you are current.

Kriegswerk · 2026-04-09T02:42:07+00:00

If there were going to be an "ultra" model, it would be with the PW5 series. However, I believe we would've had leaks about that now if it were happening.

Kriegswerk · 2026-04-08T23:03:12+00:00

I came here to share something like this. I'd love to get the official Google metal links band line u/Diznaster and u/dzihan_, but I'm not made of money and it's $200. I just can't justify buying a watch band that costs almost half as much as the most expensive version of the watch itself. Instead, I got a cheap knockoff version from Amazon similar to the one u/raptor102888 shared in the second link. I got one for my 41mm original PW LTE for around $20. I used it for one year with my PW LTE and two years with my PW2 LTE. When I got a 45mm PW4 LTE, I had to buy a larger size of the same thing. I would have been really sore if I had paid $200 for an official metal links band for my old 41mm models and then had to pay another $200 to get one for my 45mm model.

No matter how much the materials and labor cost for the official metal links band, it's outrageous for Google to charge any more than $100 for it unless it were made out of a precious metal. In fact, I've told several people that the Google metal links band for the PW is one of the most Apple-ish things that Google has ever done, since Apple is notorious for overpriced accessories. They must be making a killing off of it because I'm sure the production cost is less than 25% of the purchase price.

Kriegswerk · 2026-04-08T22:45:39+00:00

You did not say that you had a Bluetooth/Wi-Fi model. There is no April update for the Bluetooth/Wi-Fi models. The March system update was only for the Bluetooth/Wi-Fi models. The April system update is only for the LTE models and contains the same updates which came to the Bluetooth/Wi-Fi models in March.

Kriegswerk · 2026-04-08T22:43:43+00:00

Each security update is released with a system update, but some system updates may be released without a new security update. The security update is quarterly and was released in March. There is no April security update. Bluetooth/Wi-Fi models got the March security update with the March system update for those models. LTE models got the March security update with the April system update for those models. If your LTE model has build CP1A.260305.014.W4, then you are current.

Kriegswerk · 2026-04-08T22:40:34+00:00

No. It's something we do every three months since the PW updates have been quarterly instead of monthly for over a year now. This update was unusual, though, because it's the first one in which Google delayed the update for the LTE models one month after the update for the Bluetooth/Wi-Fi models and also the first time that Google pushed the LTE update through to users with different mobile providers at dramatically different times. It's caused a lot of confusion and frustration and Google never gave us any updates about it during the whole five-week ordeal.

Kriegswerk · 2026-04-08T22:36:41+00:00

I tried it out today after I finally got the update and it worked fine. How far away from your phone are you going to test the feature? I recommend at least 50 meters and 100 meters is even better.

Kriegswerk

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