Google looks to be trying to find ways to improve the Pixel Watch with the help of an Assistant-powered ‘At a Glance’ complication.
Google Assistant on the Pixel Watch is a simple voice assistant that can be activated with a simple ‘Hey Google,’ a press of the watch’s side button or an optional complication. For those who don’t know, in the smartwatch world, a complication is any feature that is displayed on a watch face in addition to the time.
The current complication on the Pixel Watch is a basic Google Assistant icon that matches the watch’s face colour. However, it’s been revealed that Google is working on new “proactive_complications” in version 1.5.67.x of Google Assistant for Wear OS. The work is described as At a Glance and is operational if Google Assistant is set up, borrowing from the similarly-named feature on Pixel phones.
At this moment, it looks like At a Glance is exclusive to the Pixel Watch, with the feature not surfacing elsewhere as of yet. The current feature looks only to show the weather and countdowns to upcoming events right now.
The complication could benefit from some more space to operate in, but as with most smartwatches, it’s wishful thinking. Too often, there isn’t enough room on a circular watch face to provide practical information.
The current Pixel Watch would see the complication fit comfortably on the Utility face in the Modular II and III configurations. Google could look to bring in some other, more roomy and elaborate designs before rolling out the At a Glance feature.
Even with the functionality not being live to users yet and design challenges posing some problems, the new feature will be a welcomed addition when it eventually debuts, as more functionality is never a bad thing.
Source: 9to5Google
