In this guide, we will show you various methods to fix the issue of Pixel Watch Unlock not working. The Silicon Valley giant has built quite an impressive ecosystem of sorts, with its smartphones and smartwatches being some of the very best players out there in their respective domains. Moreover, they are now more closely knit than ever before, thanks to the introduction of a couple of new features.
With the latest December update, you can now sync Do Not Disturb as well as the Bedtime mode between your watch and smartphone. Apart from that, you could now even unlock your device directly from the watch itself, thereby adding more brownie points to the ease of usage between the linked devices.
However, numerous users have voiced their concern that this Pixel Watch Unlock is not working along the expected lines as they are unable to unlock their device even after interacting with the said option on their watch. If you are also in the same boat, then this guide will help you rectify it. Follow along.
Table of Contents
Fix Pixel Watch Unlock Not Working
It is recommended that you try out each of the below-mentioned workarounds and then see which one spells out success. So with that in mind, let’s get started.
FIX 1: Verify Device Compatibility
Watch Unlock requires a Pixel 4a or newer running Android 13+ [having at least the December 2023 Security Patch update]. Other devices like tablets can’t be unlocked with this feature.
FIX 2: Restart Device
As obvious as it may sound, but some users were able to get hold of this feature only after restarting their device. So once you have set it up via the aforementioned steps, make sure to do a restart and then verify the results.
FIX 3: Only One Wearable at a time
Do note that only one wearable can be enabled at a time. If you are using multiple ones, then Pixel Watch Unlock will not work.
FIX 4: Unlock at least once a day
You’ll have to unlock your phone with a passcode or biometric at least once a day to keep the Watch Unlock feature up and running.
FIX 5: Disable Extend Unlock
If you have enabled Extend Unlock (or Smart Lock), then the Pixel Watch Unlock feature will not work. So make sure to disable it [all its three features, namely On-body detection, Trusted Places, and Trusted Devices] using the below-listed steps and then check out the results.
- Head over to Settings > Security and Privacy > More Security and Privacy.
- Then go to Extend Unlock and disable all its associated features.
- Now check if it fixes the issue of Pixel Watch Unlock not working.
FIX 6: Reactive after first-time usage
After relocking from your watch for the first time, Watch Unlock needs to be reactivated via a passcode or biometric on your phone. Once that is done, from the subsequent time onwards, the Watch Unlock shortcut will appear in the Pixel Watch app [which can be accessed from Watch preferences > Security > Watch Unlock].
FIX 7: Update Play Services
Make sure that you’re on the latest version of Google Play Services as well. If that is not the case, then go to this link, install the pending updates, and then check out the results.
That’s it. These were the various methods that should help you fix the issue of Pixel Watch Unlock not working. If you have any queries concerning the aforementioned steps, do let us know in the comments. We will get back to you with a solution at the earliest.
