Rita El Khoury / Android Authority
TL;DR
- When using a custom face on a Google Pixel Watch, the always-on display stops adjusting the brightness automatically.
- Google is aware of this issue, which was first reported in December 2022. Despite that, it still hasn’t issued a fix.
- The upcoming Wear OS 5 update could potentially address this bug through Google’s mandatory Watch Face Format.
Google’s Pixel Watches are two of the best smartwatches for Android users, offering decent technology in a sleek design. Despite their excellence, however, both models have had an always-on display (AOD) problem since day one. When a user opts for a custom watch face on either generation, the AOD no longer adjusts the brightness automatically.
According to an Android Police report, both Google Pixel Watches suffer from an annoying AOD bug. When using a custom watch face, the auto-brightness feature stops working in AOD mode. So, if an affected user switches from a well-lit room to a dark one, the AOD’s brightness will remain high until they manually wake the screen. Similarly, leaving a dimly-lit room won’t automatically raise the AOD’s brightness without manual user intervention.
The AOD bug on Pixel Watches was first reported on Google’s Issue Tracker in December 2022. Although Google acknowledged it back then, no fix has been provided yet. The company may apply the patch through its Watch Face Format (WFF) on Wear OS 5. WFF will aim to standardize custom faces by ensuring they meet Google’s guidelines.
This bug only surfaces when using a custom face on a Google Pixel Watch 1 or 2 with tilt to wake disabled. Affected users can pick one of the stock watch faces as a workaround, as the AOD bug doesn’t impact them. Whether Wear OS 5 will finally patch it is yet to be seen.
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