Android 17 starts hitting Pixel phones and watches today

Android for your wrist is getting an upgrade today, assuming you have a Pixel Watch. Google says Wear OS 7 is a major update that brings Gemini Intelligence to the latest models. It’s not all AI, though. For starters, Google claims Pixel Watch users can expect a 10 percent battery life boost after the update. The new software, based on Android 17, ports several notable phone features to wearables, including live notifications. You can now track your DoorDash orders or check sports scores at a glance. The audio source picker from phones is also coming over to the Pixel Watch. For developers, Wear OS will make it easier to adapt phone-optimized widgets for the smaller wearable screen. The initial rollout won’t include Gemini Intelligence (with the new Neural Expressive interface), but Google says that’s slated for the coming months. When it arrives, you’ll have features like the AI-powered Create My Widget and multi-step app automation. The idea that you’ll be able to hand Gemini a complex task like booking concert tickets from a watch screen is suspect, though. That doesn’t even work very well on phones where you can keep an eye on the robot’s meandering. Ready, set, wait It usually takes a few weeks for new Android versions to reach all eligible Pixel devices. This time around, the new OS is available for all Tensor-powered Pixels, starting with the Pixel 6 series and running through the current Pixel 10. …