Google’s advanced fitness features also focus on one of the most common forms of exercise: running. Now the watch offers holistic running guidance, under an umbrella that the company calls “Plan, Run, Reflect”. You can create and save your own personalized running routines, with your preferred warm-up and cool-down segments, or your own easy, long run, or tempo run days. You can send them to your watch and get real-time guidance with audio and haptic feedback. You can navigate your way home with Google Maps, even if you’re offline, and playback your music to your paired earbuds.
As you’re working out, the Pixel Watch 3 then tracks your form with advanced motion sensing and machine learning, keeping track of metrics like stride length, cadence, and vertical oscillation. You can check all your data on a running-specific dashboard that will track your performance, which Google’s AI will then use to give you customized running advice and help improve your form.
A series of comprehensive new algorithms will cover the rest of the time you’re not running. A new readiness score takes into account factors like your heart rate variability, resting heart rate, and recent sleep to show you how ready you are to take on the day. Cardio load tracking shows how hard your heart is working, aided by what the company says is its most accurate heart rate tracking yet. Your target cardio load will take into account your fitness and whether or not you are over- or under-training or are at risk for injury, while an all-new Morning Brief sums everything up for you when you wake up in the morning.
Video: Julian Chokkattu
Also new is “Loss of Pulse Detection,” a feature we haven’t seen before on other smartwatches. It uses the heart rate and other sensors to detect “if a user is having a loss of pulse event.” It will check with the person, and if there’s no sign of motion or response, it will call emergency services. It’s first launching in Europe, and Google says it will work with regulatory bodies to make it available in other countries.
Finally, and most importantly, rather than hiding most of the advanced features behind the Fitbit Premium paywall, most of this is free for all Pixel Watch 3 owners—even the Daily Readiness score. Only the AI-powered daily run recommendations are reserved for Fitbit Premium subscribers.
