Wear OS 7 promised to transform my Pixel Watch 4, but delivered nothing

It's been a month since Google rolled out Wear OS 7 to the Pixel Watch 4 with a bunch of promised updates in tow, from widgets to Gemini Intelligence and more. A very exciting update that I instantly installed on my own watch.

But as I went digging post-update, I couldn't find anything new. Every feature Google had teased was nowhere to be found on my Pixel Watch. I double-checked that I had the latest build number, the latest app updates, and sure enough, I did.

I've waited more than a month now, hoping that some app updates would bring the new features, to no avail. So, what's up with Wear OS 7? Where are all the new features?

I had to squint to find something new in Wear OS 7

Some minor changes that don't amount to anything

My Pixel Watch 4 is running Build 17.0.0 (CP2A.260603.001, Jun 2026), the most recent version according to Google's official OTA documentation page. I've tapped the update screen multiple times to make sure I had the latest version.

All the apps are also updated in the Play Store. It's been like this for more than a month. Yet, nothing substantial has changed on my watch. Everything still feels the same and works the same.

The biggest change is that media controls not only show up as a permanent icon on the watch face when music is playing, but also as the top notification when you swipe up. It's a handy addition, especially if you also have an ongoing GPS route.

In those situations, Google Maps (or other turn-by-turn apps) used to overtake the permanent icon on the watch face, making music controls less convenient to access. With the new pinned notification, they'll still be reachable.

The only useful additions are the new pinned music notification and an emergency sharing toggle.

Besides this, there are a bunch of small Material design tweaks, an Emergency sharing option in the Safety app, and a new Mobile Networks toggle at the top of quick settings that turns off calls, messages, and mobile data.

If you're too attentive, you may also notice that tapping or rotating the crown when the watch is in AOD mode now immediately performs the action (opening the app drawer, or the notifications/quick settings) instead of waking up the watch first.

Where is everything Wear OS 7 promised?

Google has rolled out none of the new features

All of the above are not the most interesting features that Google promised with Wear OS 7. We were supposed to be getting widgets with multiple sizes to help us create different layouts to replace the full-screen tiles.

Instead, the only sign of widgets that I can see is a renamed menu to say Add widgets. Renaming tiles to widgets doesn't make them widgets. I suspect apps have to be updated to support widgets, but literally none of them, not even Google's apps, have.

Another change that was supposed to come with Wear OS 7 is the ability to pick where media plays from Media Controls. This should allow you to send media to nearby Google speakers and cast targets. It's not there either.

Live Updates, which pin ongoing notifications to your phone's screen (sports, ride-sharing, etc), are supposed to be compatible with Wear OS 7. I have yet to get one app to show me a Live Update on my watch, even though they work on my Pixel phone.

At least I knew that Gemini Intelligence wasn't supposed to roll out until later, so I wasn't expecting to see that on my Pixel Watch 4 yet. But the rest? I thought they'd be live either through the main upgrade or through app updates.

Google made a lot of promises

But couldn't keep them consistent

This entire situation isn't helped by the fact that Google's own communication around Wear OS 7 has been confusing as heck.

On its main blog, Google says Wear OS 7 should bring Live Updates and Media Routing. Gemini Intelligence is coming later.
In its June changelog, the company doesn't mention Live Updates, but still promises Media Routing and some of the smaller features I talked about earlier.
On the developer page, Google says Wear OS 7 supports widgets instead of full-screen tiles, then proceeds to list the other features like Live Updates and Media Routing.

The reality is most of these features are not live, regardless of which Google source you believe. I've asked my Android Police colleagues and they, too, confirmed that they haven't seen any of the new features. So it's not just my watch.

Do I have Wear OS 7 for real, or just a new About screen?

Honestly, this is starting to feel like a silly update from Google. My Pixel Watch 4's About menu says it's running Wear OS 7, but nothing is live yet. And it's looking like all the cool features have been delayed until the Watch 5 launches and QPR1 comes along.

It's a bit sad that Google had to go this route, or at least it's disappointing that the company wasn't clear about what's rolling out immediately and what's coming later.

I'm sure that when the new features land, especially the highly-awaited Gemini Intelligence, the experience will be completely different with Wear OS 7, but for now, it's a huge disappointment.