The Apple Watch has been a fixture on my wrist — and subsequently, has kept an iPhone in my pocket — for almost seven years. Since I first started using the Apple Watch, I have been enamored with Apple’s approach to health and the subtle, psychological impacts it has on how I use data to improve my health.
I had a major heart attack in November 2020, coincidentally following a four-month period where I wasn’t wearing the Apple Watch, so I didn’t see the warning signs. This has changed my daily health routines and presented unique challenges for my family members, given I live 3,000 miles away from the nearest one.
While I love the Apple Watch, especially the Apple Watch Ultra, the iPhone could be better. By design, the Apple Watch doesn’t work with Android phones, so I’m forced to keep an iPhone in my pocket. I much prefer foldable phones like the newOnePlus Open— which I think is the best foldable ever — and have been searching for the right Android wearable to challenge the Apple Watch.
I had high hopes for thePixel Watch 2, but after a few weeks trying it out, I’ve found it isn’t quite capable of replacing my Apple Watch… at least, not right now. Here’s why.
Integration with health providers
Samsung has spent many years focusing on the sleep aspect of its Galaxy watches, and I am enjoying all the sleep features on the Galaxy Watch 6. However, Samsung hasn’t delivered on the health side despite promises to address shortcomings compared to Apple Health. I hoped the Pixel Watch 2 would fare better: while announcing its latest wearable, Google mentioned it planned to match Apple by offering built-in integration with my health provider.
I take 10+ medications, have five major health conditions, and have had several surgeries — and Apple Health syncs all of this information with my healthcare provider automatically. It ensures that this is visible in any medical situation, and on several occasions when I’ve had to call emergency services, this information meant first responders knew which medications to avoid. The Apple Watch also collects all the data from the various apps I use, including my Continuous Glucose Monitor, and makes it available in one complete snapshot of my health.
It’s unfair to judge the Pixel Watch 2 based solely on these features, as Google’s healthcare provider integration isn’t available yet. Still, the rest of the Google health experience has led me to believe that it will take many generations for it to match Apple Health. I’m also very concerned that Google may choose to put this crucial integration behind the Fitbit Premium paywall.
Google is reinventing health, and not in a good way
Detailed sleep data. Thirty-day reporting. Readiness. Sleep Profile. Features I’ve come to expect on a wearable — especially one priced at $349 — are available on Pixel Watch, but only when you have a Fitbit Premium subscription. When you buy the Pixel Watch 2 — or get it free as part of aGoogle Pixel 8 Prodeal — you get six months of Fitbit Premium for free, after which it will cost you $9.99 monthly. So far, Fitbit hasn’t shown that it’s worth the monthly price tag, especially for features that are available for free on comparable wearables.
Google isn’t the only company charging for these features. I use a Whoop band, which requires an annual subscription. However, the critical difference between the two is that the Whoop subscription includes the hardware cost. In contrast, Fitbit Premium is an add-on requirement to have all the features of an expensive-to-some wearable.
Apple also has a paid Fitness+ product that delivers workouts and fitness videos — which Fitbit Premium also offers — but Apple doesn’t require you to buy the Apple Watch to access these features. They’re available across iPhone, iPad, Mac, and TV as well — and crucially, none of Apple Health’s core services around sleep require payment. Google is attempting to charge users a significant upfront cost and then a monthly subscription for features I would expect to have included for free.
For Android users, Samsung offers the best all-around sleep management features to users of its products for free. The Galaxy Watch 6 gives you all the data from the Sleep Profile feature of the Pixel Watch 2 without an additional subscription. Health data has potentially life-saving benefits and shouldn’t be commercialized, and Google has missed the mark here.
Cautious and buggy approach to health
Google deliberately focused on health features during the keynote announcing the Pixel Watch 2. One of the highlighted features is the new advanced heart rate sensor. And to Google’s credit, I’ve found that it’s not only more accurate than the Apple Watch Ultra and Galaxy Watch, 6 but also far more responsive.
Google also talked about Body Responses, Readiness scores, and Sleep Profiles during the keynote. These features are hidden behind a series of menus, and the watch doesn’t prompt you to set them up oe walk you through them. When you do get them up and running, the features just don’t work like they should. I’ve lost days of sleep data because I put the Pixel Watch 2 on the charger before bed, then put it on my wrist to sleep, only to wake and realize I hadn’t unlocked the watch, so no data was collected overnight.
There are several apps you need to download, and this is a Google product in all the ways we dislike: multiple different solutions all band-aided together. It’s often confusing to remember which app houses which setting, and even when you’ve enabled a feature, it’ll often get disabled in the app without your knowledge.
The Pixel Watch 2 offers a lot of promise, and Google has promised a lot of features will be launched, but the current state of the Pixel Watch 2 leaves me wanting. It’s a massive improvement over the original Pixel Watch, but there are still a lot of unanswered questions.
Google’s not known for following through
Like most people in the know, I also fear that Google will kill or radically change yet another product that I have built part of my life around. The Nest Secure alarm system waskilled by Googleearlier this year, meaning I had to replace almost $1,000 worth of Nest Secure systems across three houses ahead of the product’s end-of-life date next year. Switching something imperative to a Google product feels like a foolhardy decision, considering all the other products that Google has killed.
The Pixel Watch and Pixel phone range will remain a part of the Google hardware portfolio for years, but the Fitbit service and app may change considerably. The Pixel Watch 2 is the first Google wearable to be built fully with the Fitbit team after Google’s acquisition completed in 2021, which means there’s a strong chance of significant changes in the future.
I have low hopes that these changes will be made in a way that doesn’t significantly impact users. The reality is that there will likely be lots of bumps along the way, and hopefully, Google won’t give up before making the Pixel Watch that gets it right. For now, I’ll be keeping an Apple Watch on my wrist — Google’s haphazard approach to health doesn’t give me much choice.
Google Pixel Watch 2
The Google Pixel Watch 2 is Google’s second-generation self-branded smartwatch. It brings the best heart rate sensor on any wearable by a phone maker, but the promise of some great features is hindered by Google’s execution.
