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Google is now extending the use of the Pixel Watch with better cohesive features with your smartphone. Earlier this week at the CES 2023, Pixel Watch got a new update with options like Watch Unlock which will allow you to unlock the smartphone from your wrist. This smart unlock feature is similar to Apple’s iPhone unlock option via the Apple Watch.

You could also say that Google is offering a 3-tier of device authentication, just in case the phone’s fingerprint sensor or face ID does not recognise the owner of the device. Google already has the smart lock feature doing the exact thing but with Watch Unlock you can transmit the security duties to your smartwatch.

Having said that, Google is limiting its feature set for some reason, which means you cannot use the new option for making payments from your wrist. It is possible that Google fears the repercussions caused by any possible mishap which could also invite unwanted attention towards the smartwatch from bad actors.

The new unlock feature is likely to run on Android 13-based devices since the new version got an Active Unlock API for the said feature to work via connected devices like the Pixel Watch. Smartwatches are becoming an extension of your phone on the wrist, and bringing additional layers of security is a welcome move.

Google has been planning for a smartwatch for a while but it needed robust software to support its case, and the new Wear OS 3.5 version developed along with Samsung seems to have the right tools to succeed in the segment, where you have the mighty Apple Watch lurking in the backdrop.

Pixel Watch has got a limited reach in the market for now, with Google having no plans to expand its availability in countries like India, where it bring its flagship Pixel 7 series phones in 2022 after a gap of around three years.

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