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Google Begins Rolling Out Low‑Power AOD for Media Controls, Timers and Stopwatches on Pixel Watch

Early access is limited to Pixel Watch 4, 3, 2 on Wear OS 6.

Overview

  • Updated AOD views keep timers, stopwatches and media controls visible with simplified outlines instead of full graphics.
  • UI tweaks remove countdown rings, hollow out buttons, replace ticking seconds with dashes and drop stopwatch milliseconds.
  • Media controls shift to minimal outlines when the screen idles, then restore artwork and filled buttons when the wrist is raised.
  • 9to5Google reports the rollout is linked to Google Clock 6.11 and availability remains uneven across devices.
  • The original Pixel Watch is not supported, and AOD still uses more battery overall even as the new designs reduce display load.