Rita El Khoury / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Google is working on sending out fewer notifications when your Pixel device is unlocked by your smartwatch.
- Watch Unlock notifications will soon appear based on the distance between your phone and paired watch in order to reduce interruptions.
Google introduced the Watch Unlock feature for Pixel Watches last year. This handy security feature allows users to unlock their Pixel devices simply by wearing a paired smartwatch. However, those who’ve used Watch Unlock will attest to the fact that they are tired of the “Unlocked by your watch” notification that appears every single time a Pixel phone is unlocked using the feature. Well, it seems Google will soon address the issue and get rid of those annoying notifications.
An APK teardown helps predict features that may arrive on a service in the future based on work-in-progress code. However, it is possible that such predicted features may not make it to a public release.
An APK teardown of the latest beta version of Google Play Services (version 24.46.30 beta) has revealed that Google is working on a way to reduce Watch Unlock notifications. When the change is implemented, users will only see the “Unlocked by your watch” notification if there is a significant distance between their phone and the paired smartwatch.
Code
Only get notified when your phone and watch are far apart, instead of every time your watch unlocks
your phone
Get fewer notificationsThis change would make use of distance-based calculations to determine when to show the “Unlocked by your watch” notification, helping to cut down on unnecessary alerts when your Pixel is in close proximity. The code strings above hint at how Google plans to implement this. We’ll update you when the feature goes live. If you notice the change before us, drop us a line at the email address mentioned below.
