Google has introduced two new gesture controls for the Pixel Watch 4, giving users more ways to manage tasks without touching the screen.
The smartwatch already supports the ‘raise to talk’ gesture for activating the Gemini AI assistant. The new gestures, ‘Wrist Turn’ and ‘Double Pinch’, aim to make interactions easier and more intuitive.
With the ‘Wrist Turn’ gesture, users can dismiss notifications or incoming calls by simply rotating their wrist, similar to Apple’s ‘wrist flick’, providing a convenient way to handle alerts when the other hand is occupied.
The ‘Double Pinch’ gesture allows users to control multiple functions by pressing the index finger and thumb together. It can be used to answer or reject calls, start or stop music, and manage timers, enabling more efficient one-handed operation.
Google has not yet confirmed if these new features will be available for the Pixel Watch 3 or earlier models. However, since the ‘raise to talk’ gesture was later added to Pixel Watch 3, there is a possibility that older versions may receive these updates in the future.
In addition, Google has enhanced the ‘smart replies’ feature on both Pixel Watch 3 and 4. The updated version runs directly on the watch, rather than relying on cloud processing, making replies twice as fast and reducing battery consumption by half compared to previous models.
According to Google, an internal study found that 97 percent of users rated the new replies as equal to as or better than before. The update aims to provide faster, more accurate, and more private message suggestions without needing an internet connection.
