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How to Turn On Google Pixel Watch

Whether setting up your Pixel Watch for the first time or turning it on after powering off, this guide covers all scenarios for powering on and waking your watch.


Turning On Your Watch

First Time or After Power Off:

  1. Press and hold the crown button on the right side for 2-3 seconds
  2. Wait for the Google logo to appear
  3. Allow 30-60 seconds for full boot
  4. Follow on-screen setup if first use

Wake from Sleep Mode:

  • Tap Screen: Touch anywhere on the display to wake
  • Press Crown: Press once to wake the display
  • Tilt to Wake: Raise your wrist to automatically wake (if enabled)
  • Touch Bezel: Tap the bezel area around the screen edge

Display Wake Settings

Customize how your Pixel Watch wakes from sleep at Settings Display.

  • Tilt to Wake: Toggle wrist-raise wake functionality on or off.

  • Touch to Wake: Enable or disable tap-to-wake for screen activation.

  • Always-On Display: Choose whether screen stays partially lit (uses more battery) or goes completely dark (saves battery).

  • Screen Timeout: Adjust how quickly the screen turns off after inactivity.


Charging and Power States

Turning On While Charging:

If your battery was completely depleted, place on charger and wait 5-10 minutes before attempting to turn on. The watch can boot and operate while charging.

Low Battery Behavior:

  • 20%: Yellow battery icon warning
  • 10%: Red battery icon with stronger notification
  • 5%: Prompt to enable Battery Saver mode
  • 0%: Automatic power off to protect battery

Troubleshooting Power Issues

Watch Won't Turn On:

  1. Charge for at least 30 minutes on the magnetic dock
  2. Verify charging dock is properly connected and watch aligned
  3. Look for battery icon after charging
  4. Try force restart if frozen (hold crown 30 seconds)
  5. Contact Google support if still unresponsive

Screen Won't Wake (But Watch is On):

  1. Check if extreme power-saving mode is active
  2. Press and hold crown while tapping screen
  3. Restart via Settings System Restart
  4. Verify display settings haven't changed
  5. Factory reset via recovery mode as last resort

Battery Saver Mode

When battery is critically low, enable Battery Saver for extended runtime:

Swipe down from watch face Tap battery icon with leaf

Battery Saver disables always-on display, reduces background sync, limits notifications and performance, and disables tilt-to-wake.


See Also: How to Charge|How to Reset|Charging Issues