Pixel Watch users put the brakes on Google's March update with SpO2 issues

What you need to know

• Pixel Watch users across multiple watch generations state the March update has broken its SpO2 and skin temperature reading features.
• Users state their devices are no longer tracking data for these areas, as the Fitbit app only says "analyzing," but nothing completes.
• Google's March update for the Pixel Watch brought earthquake alerts, "instant" notifications concerning your phone, and more.

March isn't going so well for some Pixel Watch owners, as reports across multiple channels say the latest patch has problems.

It appears that many reports surfaced over the weekend, especially those on Reddit, as highlighted by 9to5Google. The user reports that their Pixel Watch's blood oxygen and skin temperature features are not working after downloading Google's update for March. Their report says, "They're not showing after the update, it straight up says no data? Like what. Before the update, they were working as normal."

They add that opening the Fitbit app seems to put them in a strange loop where it says "analyzing," but the action never completes. Others have chimed in on this thread, with one user stating, "It's definitely a bug in the latest update." For them, rebooting their Pixel Watch has not resulted in a fix. Another user, who says that they rely on Google's SpO2 readings due to medical reasons, confirms they're having issues, too.

These problems have extended to Google's forums over the past couple of days. The user owns a Pixel Watch 4, which suggests that this problem is across several Pixel Watch generations. Clearing the cache was given as a potential solution, but to no avail. As far as solutions go, one user found relief by factory resetting their Pixel Watch (extreme, yes). However, another user offered the option of checking if your blood oxygen and skin temperature permissions are still enabled. Users can do so by checking Fitbit's permissions in their Settings.

One user said this permissions route worked for them, so it might be worth checking. Otherwise, it seems we're waiting on a proper fix from Google.

A bitter start to March

Google got off to a fast start in March by dropping a huge Pixel update for its phones and watches. While Pixel phones were in for "Find the Look" in Circle to Search, Pixel Watches received "instant" alerts for a range of aspects. Google said your watch will inform you if you've left your phone behind, and it will automatically lock your phone if you've moved away from it. One-handed gestures arrived for the Pixel Watch 3, alongside Google's earthquake alerts.

Google's Pixel Watches haven't been without issues over the years. Pixel Watch 2 owners may (unfortunately) remember a series of charging issues, as the charging puck refused to cooperate. Last year, Pixel Watch 1, 2, and 3 users all suffered from a step count problem due to an algorithm change.

Android Central's Take

Issues like this are always the worst when there's no clear cut solution. Oftentimes, it's a simple disconnect between software. Updates can be tricky. We just cross our fingers that nothing breaks during the process. In this case, it certainly seems to be a much deeper issue than a simple restart can fix. On one hand, we have the factory reset, which I certainly wouldn't want to do. In any case, if you want to wait for something official, wait for Google to roll out a patch. Unfortunately, that might take a while.