Google is working on a fix for Pixel Watch permissions errors

Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Pixel Watch users have been experiencing a frustrating glitch where their wearables don’t seem able to access sensor data for health reporting.
- Users have tried changing app permissions, and even factory resetting devices, to no avail.
- Google says that it’s aware of the issue, and currently working on a fix.
A modern smartwatch is capable of nearly as much as our phones themselves, but a whole lot of us probably use them for just two main purposes: checking notifications, and tracking health data. That’s just going to make us feel all the more frustrated when one of these basic operations stops functioning properly. Earlier this week, we shared with you a problem Pixel Watch owners were having with sensor permissions, preventing them from logging health metrics. Today we finally have an update on the situation.

As you may recall, impacted users were experiencing error messages that seemed to be complaining of insufficient permissions to take advantage of watch sensors, but changing all the settings they could find still didn’t seem to bring users any relief. Some even tried the nuclear option of a factory reset, and still got the error.
When we asked readers if they were running into this themselves, a little under half of you replied in the affirmative, suggesting that this issue could be quite widespread.
We reached out to Google at the time, and while we didn’t hear anything back immediately, today the company got in touch with Android Authority with an update.
It’s not much to go on just yet, but Google confirms that its engineers are aware of these reports, and that the company is developing a fix.
Sadly, there’s no ETA to go along with that, nor any tips for at least momentarily side-stepping the problem, but it’s progress, all the same!
Google’s got its next big hardware event coming up in just under a month, with the next Made By Google launches taking place on August 12. Obviously, the Pixel 11 series will be the star of the show there, but odds sound good we’ll also get the to officially meet the Pixel Watch 5. Hopefully Google fix for this existing issue arrives before that new smartwatch lands.
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