December Pixel Watch 4 update adds one-handed gestures and upgrades a key Gemini tool

What you need to know

• The Pixel Watch 4 will support two one-handed gestures: Double pinch and wrist turn.
• You'll be able to respond to calls, dismiss notifications, and more without touching the screen.
• Google is adding a step-by-step tutorial to Gemini Raise to Talk as a "refresher" for users.
• Both the Pixel Watch 4 and Watch 3 will support a new Gemma-based on-watch model for smart replies.

Google announced a new Pixel Watch 4 update on Tuesday that brings gesture shortcuts and smarter AI message suggestions to Wear OS 6.

With this update, Watch 4 owners will be able to Double Pinch to answer and end calls, pause timers, silence alarms, take a photo, respond to messages, and more. Samsung first introduced its pinching shortcut on Galaxy Watches with Wear OS 5, while Apple Watches also have a Double Tap shortcut.

Google seemed to acknowledge this in the press release, noting that "unique to Pixel Watch" will be "helpful context hints right on screen" for when to use the gesture. When you look at an incoming phone call, for example, the green phone button will temporarily switch to an animated pinch gesture.

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The second new Pixel Watch 4 gesture is Wrist Turn, which silences notifications or incoming calls; this, too, is similar to Samsung's "Shake" gesture and functionality. The only missing gesture is Samsung's Knock Knock, which triggers a favorite shortcut on the Watch 8 and Watch 8 Classic.

You'll be able to customize how often you see these gesture reminders within the UI: Always, Daily, Weekly, Monthly, or Once.

Google has its own unique gesture: Gemini Raise to Talk, which allows Watch 4 owners to activate Gemini to listen simply by lifting their wrists. Google says they're rolling out a "step-by-step tutorial" to "make this valuable feature accessible to everyone," so some users may have been struggling to make it work properly.

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This December update will also improve the on-device smart reply function on both the Pixel Watch 4 and Pixel Watch 3. Originally a Watch 4 exclusive, this feature would create possible contextual replies to messages without having to wait for your phone or the cloud.

Now, Google says they've created a new Gemma model that's "twice as fast and nearly three times more efficient" for memory usage, and that "97% of users found the quality equal to or better than before" in a blind study, despite being more efficient. We hope this will help the Pixel Watch 4 battery life continue to improve.

One of the best Android smartwatches of the year, the Pixel Watch 4 is a Gemini smartwatch in many ways, and it's no surprise that Google would continue to emphasize AI upgrades and shortcuts in its post-launch updates.