How to Pair and Connect a Pixel Watch to Your Phone

This article explains how to pair Pixel Watch with an Android phone. These directions are relevant in three scenarios: You're setting up a brand-new Pixel Watch with your phone for the first time, you've disconnected a previously set-up watch and you need to pair it again, or you want to use your Pixel Watch with a new phone.

How to Pair a Pixel Watch With an Android

Unlike how you might pair headphones to your phone, connecting Pixel Watch to an Android phone requires a special app.

1. Install the Google Pixel Watch app on your phone. Also take this time to bring the phone and watch near each other so they have a solid connection.

2. Turn on Bluetooth on your phone, if it's not already on.

On a Pixel, for example, the Bluetooth toggle is in Settings > Connected devices > Connection preferences > Bluetooth.

3. Turn on Pixel Watch, if it's not already on, by holding down the crown for a few seconds or until you see activity on the watch.

4. On the watch, choose your preferred language from the list.

5. From the app on your phone, select Continue on the Set up your new watch screen.

6. Read the terms and conditions, and then tap I agree.

7. When your phone identifies the watch, tap it from the list, and then choose Continue.

8. After you see the Bluetooth pairing code, confirm that the same number is on the watch, and then tap Pair or Confirm, depending on the screen you see.

9. Pixel Watch is now paired with your phone! You can continue the setup procedure from the Google Pixel Watch app.

You can completely disconnect Pixel Watch from your phone by unpairing it, but doing so will cause it to only work from the watch itself.

For example, if you have the Wi-Fi model, you'll be able to do things like track your steps and sleep, pay with Google Pay, and view the weather. However, you won't be able to do anything that requires a connection with your phone, such as receiving app notifications.

Most importantly, unpairing Pixel Watch renders it forever disconnected from any phone, including the device it was previously paired with. That is, unless you completely reset it to its factory default settings. It's only then that you can set it up as a new watch with any compatible phone.

Yes, you can connect Pixel Watch to any compatible Android phone. The catch is that it can be paired with only one phone at a time. So, if you want to switch the phone it's paired with, or if you unpair the watch from your phone and you want to reconnect it, you must reset the watch to its factory default settings.

See Google directions for resetting Pixel Watch to factory settings. Assuming the watch isn't currently paired with any phone, the only way to reset it is through the watch itself: Settings > System > Disconnect & reset.