Google has introduced a useful new “multi-device location sharing” feature in its Personal Safety app for Android phones paired with a Pixel Watch or Pixel Watch 2 running Wear OS 4. Allows your watch to serve as a backup for sharing your location during an emergency.
If you trigger an emergency sharing alert from your phone, but it can no longer transmit location, your paired Pixel Watch will automatically share its location instead. This provides an additional layer of protection.
To enable the feature, open the Personal Safety app on your pixel phone. Go to Features > Emergency Sharing and toggle on multi-device location sharing. You’ll also need to enable it in the Personal Safety app settings on your Pixel Watch.
With multi-device sharing on, starting an emergency alert activates location streaming from both your phone and watch simultaneously. If your phone’s signal is lost, your watch’s location is shared as a fallback.
This ensures emergency responders can still pinpoint your location even if your phone is unable to maintain a connection. It provides important redundancy for safety.
The Personal Safety app uses sensors like accelerometers, barometers, and GPS to detect car crashes or falls. If you’re unresponsive, it can automatically surface your location to designated emergency contacts.
Multi-device sharing with Pixel Watch further strengthens this capability, giving emergency services the best chance of reaching you quickly. Even if separated from your phone after an incident, your watch can transmit your position.
The feature rollout highlights the safety benefits of Google’s ecosystem integration. With compatible handsets and wearables now able to share location independently in an emergency, users have greater protection.
This reassurance underscores the value proposition of Pixel Watch as a complementary device that can independently connect you with help when needed most.
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