The owner of a Pixel Watch accidentally left his watch in direct sunlight in his car for an entire day. Fortunately for him, Google thought of integrating a security protocol that prevents the Pixel Watch from suffering irreversible damage in this kind of situation.
Launched in October 2022, the Pixel Watch presents itself as the very first connected watch from Google. Despite some shortcomings pointed out by the press and users, such as the lack of health features and insufficient autonomy, the Pixel Watch quickly became a great success.
In March 2023, Google climbed to the second step of the podium in the connected watch sector, with 8% market share (Apple still being the undisputed leader).
However, like any electronic device, leaving your Pixel Watch in direct sunlight for a whole day is not really recommended. In 2021, OnePlus found itself at the center of a media storm after the explosion of several smartphones in India, caused in particular by high heat.
The Pixel Watch is able to protect itself against high heat
However, as our colleagues from the 9To5Google site report, the owner of a Pixel Watch forgot his connected watch on the dashboard of his car for a whole day. Left there at the mercy of the sun, there was a good chance of find the Pixel Watch in a sorry state.
And fortunately for him, Google has integrated into its product a security protocol to deal with such a situation. Indeed, when the ambient temperature exceeds the limit threshold set by the manufacturer (i.e. 45° C), the Pixel Watch will automatically turn off.
The user shared on Reddit a screenshot of the notification displayed on his watch after the reboot: “The watch was too hot. It shut down to cool down and is now operating normally”.
Automatic shutdown is not the only protection
As we can read on the official website of the Mountain View company, the Pixel Watch is designed to operate optimally at an ambient temperature between 0 and 35° C. Exposing it to temperatures above 45° C may damage the product by causing the battery to overheat (not to mention fire hazard).
Furthermore, note that the automatic shutdown of the device comes as the last step. If it overheats, the Pixel Watch will first attempt to regulate the temperature by reducing performance and connectivity, disabling charging, and turning off the screen. Be careful however, these protection mechanisms are exceptional. In other words, don’t expect to preserve the health of your Pixel Watch by regularly exposing it to high heat.
Source: 9To5Google