If you break the Pixel Watch screen, getting Google to officially repair it is not in your plans.
Several Pixel Watch owners have expressed frustration over the inability to replace them. cracked screensboth on Reddit and in Google support forums. The edge He also reviewed an official Google support chat from a reader who broke the screen of his Pixel Watch after dropping the wearable device. In it, a support representative states that Google “does not have repair centers or service centers” for the device.
“At this time, we do not have any repair options for the Google Pixel Watch. If your watch is damaged, you can contact the Google Pixel Watch customer support team to check your replacement options,” confirmed Google spokesperson Bridget Starkey. The edge.
This Limited Warranty does not apply to damage caused by: (1) normal wear and tear; (2) accidents; (3) misuse (including failure to follow product documentation); (4) negligence; (5) disassembly; (6) alterations; (7) service not performed by Google-authorized technicians; and (8) external causes such as, but not limited to: liquid damage, exposure to sharp objects, exposure to excessive force, abnormalities in the electrical current supplied to the Google product, and extreme thermal or environmental conditions.
That warranty leaves owners alone to deal with damage caused by accidental drops or bumps, and according to google store, there is no extended warranty option for a Pixel Watch. If your Pixel Watch gets accidentally damaged, that’s it.
This despite the fact that a repair would technically be possible. iFixit notes on your Pixel Watch Teardown that while the screen is not easily accessible, the watch itself promises to be repairable in the future. The site also has a detailed procedure to replace a cracked, broken or dead screen. However, it’s unclear where the average person would get a replacement part, especially since Google doesn’t offer repair options for the device. One commenter on the iFixit guide suggests buying an undamaged Pixel Watch on eBay, but that only seems slightly cheaper (and perhaps more wasteful) than buying a new or used Pixel Watch replacement.
This is concerning, considering that the Pixel Watch features a circular domed glass display. While it is an attractive design, it can break easily if you are not careful. During our review period last year, my colleague Chris Welch broke his within a few days, even though he hadn’t done anything out of the ordinary or slammed the device against hard surfaces. I haven’t experienced a crack even though I dropped mine several times, but our different experiences are more due to luck than anything else.
Google is not the only one to blame for making smartwatches difficult to repair. Historically, repairing an Apple Watch has been an expensive and difficult task. For example, without AppleCare Plus, Apple quotes a flat estimate of $299 for a Series 8 and $499 for an Apple Watch Ultra. With AppleCare Plus, that price drops to $69 for the Series 8 and $79 for the Ultra, not including the cost of AppleCare itself. That being said, at least you can Send in an Apple Watch for repair, even if buying a new one might be more cost-effective in the long run.
This isn’t great, considering Google is expected to launch a new Pixel Watch 2 in October with what appears to be a nearly identical design. The good news is that Google may not have much choice regarding this practice in the future. Earlier this week, California passed a right-to-repair bill that requires companies to make replacement parts available for electronic devices for three years if they cost $50 or more, and seven years for devices that cost $100. or more.
