Google is looking into how to repair the Pixel Watch

If you break a Google Pixel Watch—even if First generation smartwatches from 2022 or the latest The model was launched earlier this month—There is no way to fix it through official channels. Instead, if you successfully make a warranty claim, Google will send you one replacement unit instead of repairing your model. This lack of repair highlights the company’s inexperience In the field of smartwatches. You can take a broken Apple Watch to Apple Repairing Broken Glass or replace the battery, and that’s it Samsung’s Galaxy Watches,

There is some good news, though. At Climate Week NYC panel, focus was on repairable technology – organized by Back Market and powered by One5CNicole Azores, Google’s manager of government affairs and public policy, said on Tuesday that the company is considering redesigning the Pixel Watch to make it more repairable.

“Watches and wearables are still pretty new, and we’re thinking about how to make them repairable,” Azores said on the panel. “We’re thinking about repairability on a broader level, not just phones and tablets, and we want to make sure that all of our products eventually become repairable. I think because watches are so new as a category, there are some design elements that need to be considered in terms of how we can make them repairable.”

When can you fix it?

Azores did not provide any additional details, including a timeline. Consumer tech products typically have a development time of two to three years. But it’s unclear if this more repairable framework will appear in the Pixel Watch 4 next year or even later. Google has used the same design for its Pixel Watch for the past three generations, however pixel watch 3 Launched in two sizes for the first time.

This is the first time the company has publicly commented on the irreparability of its smartwatch. So far, Google representatives have generally said that the company has nothing to share when it comes to repairability.

The Pixel Watch is a latecomer to the smartwatch world, but the software it runs—Wear OS—has been around for a decade (earlier it was called Android Wear) Google managed the operating system, as manufacturers like Fossil and LG made their own smartwatches. This changed in 2022, when Google launched its own smartwatch, An attempt to revive a waning platform With Samsung and Fitbit.

Google reportedly took over 8 percent share in wearable band market In the fourth quarter of 2022, when the first Pixel Watch launched. Research Group Canalis The company said it shipped 880,000 Pixel watches during the period (the rest are Fitbit devices).

just the starting point

shortage of Repairability Many of these watches will be ruined electronic waste in landfills, which according to a recent UN climate report is already Crisis point reachedIn 2022, there were approximately 137 billion pounds of e-waste, and less than a quarter was recycled. By 2030, e-waste is expected to increase by 33 percent, far outpacing the recycling rate.

There are constant efforts to implement repairability in technology. Last year, the European Union passed rules requiring smartphones and tablets to have longer-lasting batteries or easy ways for users to replace batteries using common tools by June 2025. Although it is not required to comply with this law, Apple’s new iphone 16 introduced a new adhesive that The battery inside is easy to remove,

Whether it’s the Pixel Watch 4 or the Pixel Watch 5, this design change is a win for consumers. Now Google needs to focus on improving repairability Fitbit wearable devicesDespite its prevalence TrackerThe company does not have Any repair center Send your device in for repair.