The Google Pixel Watch 3 might supercharge Watch Unlock with UWB

SUMMARY

•  Watch Unlock on the Google Pixel Watch and Pixel Watch 2 leverages Bluetooth to unlock nearby Pixel phones, but the Pixel Watch 3 could take things up a notch with UWB support.
•  The rumored inclusion of UWB hardware could make Watch Unlock significantly faster than the existing method.
•  Other rumors suggest Google may introduce a 45mm model of the Pixel Watch 3 this year, launching alongside the 41mm variant.
• The Google Pixel Watch 2 ranks among the top Android-based smartwatches you can get today. One of the many features we like about the wearable is Watch Unlock, first teased over a year ago and formally introduced to the first-gen Pixel Watch and the Pixel Watch 2 last December. This basically enables the Pixel Watch to unlock a nearby Pixel phone by bringing the two close together, leveraging Bluetooth to communicate with the smartphone. We're now learning that Google could make Watch Unlock even better with the rumored Pixel Watch 3 by introducing UWB (ultra-wideband).

• Some digging into the Google Play Services app by 9to5Google has revealed code relevant to UWB. Although it does not directly confirm the presence of UWB on the Pixel Watch 3, this is as strong an indicator as any that the feature could be included. Here are a couple of lines referencing UWB in the code:

  ActiveUnlock__enable_uwb_ranging

  ActiveUnlock__enable_uwb_ranging_validation

  For reference, ActiveUnlock is the term Google internally uses for the Watch Unlock functionality. These two lines of code suggest how Pixel Watch owners will be able to turn on UWB ranging for Watch Unlock.

• The inclusion of UWB on the Pixel Watch 3 makes a great deal of sense, considering how close Google was to bundling the required hardware on the Pixel Watch 2. Meanwhile, the Pro models of the Pixel 6, 7, and 8 are the only Pixel phones to feature UWB, so plenty of customers with non-Pro Pixels will have to continue using the older Watch Unlock tech.

• Additional lines of code within the Play Services app discuss a "ranging method restriction," potentially referring to the ban on the use of UWB in some countries, including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, and others. If a user tries to activate the UWB-based Watch Unlock functionality in an unsupported region, they will see the following error: "Ultra-wideband is unavailable in this country. You can still use Watch Unlock but may experience a slight delay and less accuracy."

• The Google Pixel Watch and Pixel Watch 2

  As 9to5 correctly notes, the mention of "a slight delay and less accuracy" may refer to the existing Bluetooth-based Watch Unlock standard (not exactly a ringing endorsement). But this also means Watch Unlock powered by ultra-wideband will be faster than what Pixel Watch owners are currently accustomed to.

• We know little about the Pixel Watch 3 right now, apart from the fact that it could be available in 41mm and 45mm models. This would be a major upgrade, given that the Pixel Watch series has only offered a 41mm model up until now. The Pixel Watch 3 will likely debut in the fall, assuming Google sticks to the same launch pattern as the first two Pixel Watch models. So there's still some waiting to do before we can get our hands on the wearable.