Google released Pixel Watch companion app version 2.0.0.567628986 on October 6, 2023, ahead of the Pixel Watch 2 launch. It was chiefly an enablement release for Pixel Watch 2 and Wear OS 4: the app added new pairing support, Google One backup and restore, watch transfer to a new phone without a factory reset, factory-reset protection, expanded safety settings and selected Pixel-phone mode mirroring. This is historical coverage of the 2023 release, not a claim that version 2.0 remains the current app in 2026.
What the Pixel Watch app 2.0 update changed
Google announced the rollout in the Pixel Watch Community on October 6, 2023, saying it would continue over the following weeks. “App 2.0” refers to the Android phone companion app; it is not a watch operating system called Pixel Watch OS 2.0. The release arrived alongside Pixel Watch 2 and the Wear OS 4 rollout.
The practical priority was device support and migration, not merely a new visual style. Google’s announcement is available at Google Pixel Watch Community.
Pixel Watch 2 setup and management
Version 2.0 enabled Pixel Watch 2 pairing and management from the phone app, allowing owners to complete initial setup and control watch settings. Original Pixel Watch owners also received the Wear OS 4 software path and related improvements, but Pixel Watch 2 compatibility was the release’s most important new capability.
#1 Best Overall
- The Pixel Watch 2 comes with three new advanced sensors for heart rate tracking, skin temperature, and stress management[1,2]; 100% recycled light aluminum housing makes it comfortable to wear[3]
- The all-new heart rate sensor and Google AI combine for Fitbit’s most spot-on heart rate tracking yet[4], so you can get more precise health and fitness info[5]
- Go even longer with the enhanced 24-hour battery and always-on display[6,7]; charge for 75 minutes to get a full day of battery life[8]
- Identify potential signs of stress with Fitbit’s body-response feature, so you can manage it in the moment[5]; and track variations in your skin temperature, blood oxygen levels, and sleep to help you spot possible changes[5,9,10]
- Get help with Emergency SOS and Fall Detection if you’re feeling unsafe or if you’ve had a hard fall[11,12]; and Safety Check alerts your close contacts if you don’t respond to a set check-in timer[13]
Wear OS 4 backup, restore and transfer
Google One backup and restore
The update introduced backup through Google One and restoration during setup of a replacement watch. Backups can preserve supported apps, settings, watch faces and tiles, reducing the need to rebuild a watch manually. Google says backup completion can take up to a few days, so enabling it immediately before a move does not guarantee that a usable backup is ready. The documented process is described at Google’s transfer and backup instructions.
- Connect the old watch to Wi-Fi and place it on its charger.
- In the Pixel Watch app, open Google → Backup and tap Turn on.
- Add the replacement watch.
- Select the available backup during setup.
- Keep the replacement watch on its charger until restoration finishes.
Transfer to a new phone without a factory reset
Wear OS 4 is required for the transfer function. Start it either on the watch or in the old phone’s app:
- On the watch, swipe down and choose Settings → System → Transfer watch, or in the app choose System → Transfer watch → Start Transfer.
- Open the Pixel Watch app on the new phone and add the watch.
- Confirm the pairing code shown on both devices.
- Complete setup and tap Done when prompted.
The old phone remains paired until the transfer succeeds. That is different from older workflows that forced a factory reset simply to change phones.
Rank #2
- The Pixel Watch 2 comes with three new advanced sensors for heart rate tracking, skin temperature, and stress management[1,2]; 100% recycled light aluminum housing makes it comfortable to wear[3]
- The all-new heart rate sensor and Google AI combine for Fitbit’s most spot-on heart rate tracking yet[4], so you can get more precise health and fitness info[5]
- Go even longer with the enhanced 24-hour battery and always-on display[6,7]; charge for 75 minutes to get a full day of battery life[8]
- Identify potential signs of stress with Fitbit’s body-response feature, so you can manage it in the moment[5]; and track variations in your skin temperature, blood oxygen levels, and sleep to help you spot possible changes[5,9,10]
- Get help with Emergency SOS and Fall Detection if you’re feeling unsafe or if you’ve had a hard fall[11,12]; and Safety Check alerts your close contacts if you don’t respond to a set check-in timer[13]
Factory-reset protection
Setup includes theft-protection checks. After a reset, Google may require the watch’s most recent PIN or the associated Google Account credentials. This improves security but means an owner should remove the watch from their account before resale or handover.
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Redesigned companion app
Google described a redesigned Pixel Watch app, while contemporaneous coverage showed Watch faces and Tiles controls arranged side by side (Droid Life’s October 2023 report). The official announcement does not provide a complete screen-by-screen changelog, so the redesign should not be treated as a total visual rewrite.
Safety and emergency additions
The app added settings and educational material under Safety & emergency. The accompanying October 2023 watch software update also expanded safety functions including Safety Check, Emergency Sharing, and Emergency Info and Medical ID. The watch-firmware details are covered in Google’s October 2023 Wear OS 4 announcement.
Rank #3
- The Pixel Watch 2 comes with three new advanced sensors for heart rate tracking, skin temperature, and stress management[1,2]; 100% recycled light aluminum housing makes it comfortable to wear[3]
- The all-new heart rate sensor and Google AI combine for Fitbit’s most spot-on heart rate tracking yet[4], so you can get more precise health and fitness info[5]
- Go even longer with the enhanced 24-hour battery and always-on display[6,7]; charge for 75 minutes to get a full day of battery life[8]
- Identify potential signs of stress with Fitbit’s body-response feature, so you can manage it in the moment[5]; and track variations in your skin temperature, blood oxygen levels, and sleep to help you spot possible changes[5,9,10]
- Get help with Emergency SOS and Fall Detection if you’re feeling unsafe or if you’ve had a hard fall[11,12]; and Safety Check alerts your close contacts if you don’t respond to a set check-in timer[13]
These are not universal, standalone emergency guarantees. Availability can depend on watch connectivity, a paired phone, location access, country or region, LTE service and, for some functions, a subscription. Google specifically noted that Safety Signal is not available on Pixel Watch 2 Wi-Fi; cellular, geography and subscription conditions also apply.
DND and Bedtime Mode mirroring
For Pixel Watch 2 owners using Pixel phones, the app added mirroring for Do Not Disturb and Bedtime Mode. The controls are managed through the phone app’s Notifications settings, so changing a mode on the watch can synchronize the corresponding state on the phone. Google’s announcement does not describe this as a universal feature for every Android handset or every Pixel Watch generation.
Compatibility at a glance
| Device or condition | What the 2.0-era release provided | Important limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Original Pixel Watch | Wear OS 4 update, app redesign, backup/restore and transfer capabilities where Wear OS 4 was installed | Not every Pixel Watch 2-specific feature applied |
| Pixel Watch 2 | Pairing and management in the companion app, plus Wear OS 4 features | Some safety and convenience functions remained conditional |
| Pixel phone | Eligible for the announced DND and Bedtime Mode mirroring with Pixel Watch 2 | Not stated as available on all Android brands |
| Other Android phones | Core app and watch management, subject to support requirements | Pixel-phone-only mirroring should not be assumed |
| Pixel Watch 2 Wi-Fi | Standard watch and app features | Safety Signal unavailable on this model |
| LTE watch | Potential access to cellular-dependent safety functions | Carrier, connectivity, location, region and subscription requirements apply |
Google said fixes were available for supported Pixel Watch devices, while warning that particular features were limited by watch model, phone and connectivity. Current support pages document later app versions and watch generations, so menu names and availability may now differ.
Rank #4
- The Pixel Watch 2 comes with three new advanced sensors for heart rate tracking, skin temperature, and stress management[1,2]; 100% recycled light aluminum housing makes it comfortable to wear[3]
- The all-new heart rate sensor and Google AI combine for Fitbit’s most spot-on heart rate tracking yet[4], so you can get more precise health and fitness info[5]
- Go even longer with the enhanced 24-hour battery and always-on display[6,7]; charge for 75 minutes to get a full day of battery life[8]
- Identify potential signs of stress with Fitbit’s body-response feature, so you can manage it in the moment[5]; and track variations in your skin temperature, blood oxygen levels, and sleep to help you spot possible changes[5,9,10]
- Get help with Emergency SOS and Fall Detection if you’re feeling unsafe or if you’ve had a hard fall[11,12]; and Safety Check alerts your close contacts if you don’t respond to a set check-in timer[13]
How to get the update today
In the 2023 rollout, owners updated the Google Pixel Watch app through Google Play and installed the watch’s Wear OS update when notified. Do not use the old build number as a current-version target in 2026; check the app’s live Google Play listing and the watch’s own system-update screen instead. The October 2023 number is useful for identifying the historical release: 2.0.0.567628986.
Migration precautions and troubleshooting
Before transferring or replacing a watch
- Keep the old phone and watch together until transfer or restore is verified.
- Connect the old watch to Wi-Fi and its charger, then allow for Google’s possible multi-day backup window.
- Do not factory-reset first if the goal is a Wear OS 4 phone transfer.
If pairing or transfer fails
- Bring the phone and watch close together and retry.
- Restart both devices.
- In the app, use System → Reset and unpair watch only if normal transfer cannot be completed.
- Use a factory reset as the last resort, then reconnect and provide the prior PIN or Google Account credentials if requested.
A factory reset erases apps, settings and watch data. Google’s pairing and reset guidance is at this support page; additional Bluetooth, LTE and connection troubleshooting is available at Google’s connection guide.
Who benefited most?
- Pixel Watch 2 buyers: required app support for pairing and setup.
- People changing phones: transfer avoided the old assumption that a factory reset was necessary.
- Owners replacing a watch: Google One backup and restore reduced setup work, provided the backup had completed.
- Pixel-phone users: gained the announced DND and Bedtime Mode synchronization with Pixel Watch 2.
- Original Pixel Watch owners: received a less dramatic but still useful redesign, Wear OS 4-related functions and safety changes.
For an owner who was not changing phones or watches, the visible benefit was mainly the redesigned app and applicable safety improvements. Feature availability remained fragmented by generation, phone brand, Wi-Fi versus LTE hardware, country and subscription status.
The Bottom Line
Pixel Watch app 2.0 was a substantial October 2023 infrastructure release: it made Pixel Watch 2 usable through the companion app and brought Wear OS 4 backup, restore, transfer and security tools. The redesign was only the visible layer. Because Google has since shipped newer app versions, treat 2.0.0.567628986 as a dated release reference, not a current 2026 update.
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