If you're experiencing issues with your Google smartwatch, commonly known as the Google Pixel Watch, restarting it can often resolve the problem. There are two main ways to restart your watch: a standard restart through the settings or a force restart (also called a hard reboot) using the physical buttons, which is useful if the watch is unresponsive.
Performing a Standard Restart
This method is the typical way to restart your watch when it is functioning correctly.
- Swipe down on your watch face to open Quick Settings.
- Tap the Settings icon (it looks like a gear).
- Scroll down and tap System.
- Tap Restart.
- Confirm by tapping the checkmark or Restart again if prompted.
Your watch will shut down and then turn back on automatically.
Performing a Force Restart (Hard Reboot)
A force restart is necessary when your Google Pixel Watch becomes unresponsive, frozen, or the screen is black and you cannot access the settings menu. The method below is based on information from helpful guides on restarting Google Pixel Watch devices.
To perform a hard reboot, you will use a combination of the physical buttons on your watch. As demonstrated in resources like the video snippet provided, this involves holding down specific buttons simultaneously.
- Locate the physical buttons on your Pixel Watch: the side button (just above the crown) and the rotating crown itself.
- Press and hold both the side button and the crown at the same time.
- Keep holding these two buttons down. According to the reference, you should hold them for about 10 to 15 seconds.
- Continue holding until you see the Google logo appear on the screen, which indicates the watch is restarting.
- Release both buttons once the Google logo appears.
Note: As mentioned in the reference, if your screen is black, you won't see any visual confirmation until the Google logo appears after holding the buttons for the required duration. Just keep holding for the 10-15 seconds.
This process forces the watch to shut down and reboot, which can help clear temporary glitches or software issues causing the unresponsiveness.
Restarting your Google Pixel Watch using either of these methods can often help restore normal functionality.
