Google came late to the smartwatch game and had a rocky start with its first Pixel Watch in late 2022. However, the company more than redeemed itself with the Pixel Watch 2, a worthy successor that proved Google was ready to be a contender against more established players like Apple and Samsung. Then, it hit it right out of the park with the Pixel Watch 3, earning top place among the best smartwatches.
Not only does the Pixel Watch 3 deliver exceptional battery life, excellent hardware, and a reasonable price tag, but it also packs in best-in-class health features, including a big one that even Apple and Samsung have yet to match: Loss of Pulse Detection.
Like many innovative smartwatch health features, Loss of Pulse Detection had a slow start since Google had to wait for regulatory approval. While Google announced it alongside the Pixel Watch 3 in August, it wasn’t available at all until September, and that was only in the EU. It took until February to get clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and began rolling out to users in the U.S. earlier this month.
Nevertheless, it’s still a feature you won’t find on any other smartwatch — at least not yet. We’re sure Apple and Samsung are working on adding this to their own next-generation wearables, but for now, Pixel Watch 3 users are fortunate to have access to this unique and potentially life-saving feature. Here’s everything you need to know about it.
What is Loss of Pulse Detection?
While heart rate monitoring has been a core health feature of nearly every smartwatch released in the past decade, Loss of Pulse Detection is one of those things that’s so obvious in retrospect that you have to wonder why Apple or Samsung didn’t think of it first.
As the name suggests, the Pixel Watch 3 can detect the absence of a pulse while it’s being worn on your wrist. It does this using the same optical sensors that are used to measure your heart rate. If no pulse is detected, your watch will automatically place a call to emergency services. It will do this even if you’re unconscious, playing an automated message that shares your location and tells the operator that it can’t detect a pulse and you’re unresponsive.
While this sounds like a recipe for false alarms, the Pixel Watch 3 will do its best to make sure you’re actually unresponsive before placing the call. It begins by softly vibrating, and if you move your arm or your pulse is suddenly detected again, the call will be cancelled as it assumes you’re okay. Google notes that these “check-ins” can happen during your normal daily activities when the pulse sensor can’t get a good reading, which is why they’re automatically dismissed as soon as motion or a pulse is detected. You can also tap “I’m OK” to dismiss the check-in.
However, after 15 seconds of no pulse and no movement, the Pixel Watch 3 will begin a 20-second countdown while playing a very loud sound. At that point, you’ll need to manually cancel the call by tapping the “X” on the screen to confirm that you’re conscious and it’s not actually an emergency.
If the Pixel Watch 3 ends up calling emergency services, the automated message can also be interrupted by you or anybody else nearby by tapping on the screen so they can talk to the emergency operator directly.
How to turn on Loss of Pulse Detection
Loss of Pulse Detection isn’t enabled automatically on the Pixel Watch 3. This is presumably because Google wants to make sure you understand the feature and know how it works. Fortunately, it’s easy to enable. Here’s how:
Step 1: First, make sure you’re running the latest version of WearOS on your Pixel Watch 3 and the Google Pixel Watch app on your paired smartphone is up to date. You’ll need at least Wear OS 15.1 with Personal Safety app update 2025.03.19.x.
Step 2: Open the Google Pixel Watch app on your phone.
Step 3: Choose Safety & emergency.
Step 4: Select Loss of Pulse Detection. If this option doesn’t appear, make sure you’re physically located in a region where Loss of Pulse Detection is available (see below for a list of supported regions) and confirm you’re running the latest versions of the Personal Safety app on your watch and the Pixel Watch app on your phone.
Step 5: Follow the on-screen instructions to enable the feature. You may be prompted to sign into Personal Safety with your Google Account during the setup process if you haven’t already done so. This is mandatory to use Loss of Pulse Detection.
Step 6: Once Loss of Pulse Detection is turned on, your Pixel Watch 3 will immediately begin monitoring for a loss of pulse whenever you’re wearing it. However, it’s also important to make sure you’re wearing it properly to get the best results.
Which devices is Loss of Pulse Detection available on?
Loss of Pulse Detection is available exclusively on the Google Pixel Watch 3, and will presumably be included on future models of Google’s smartwatch. Google hasn’t said anything about bringing it to older Pixel Watch models, nor have their been any reliable rumors to this effect. This isn’t likely an arbitrary limitation on Google’s part; Loss of Pulse Detection requires a high degree of reliability to avoid false alarms, and the Pixel Watch 3 includes a new advanced multipath heart rate sensor that’s undoubtedly more accurate at consistently measuring your heart rate.
While Loss of Pulse Detection is available on both the Wi-Fi and LTE versions of the Pixel Watch 3, it’s important to note that the Wi-Fi version will only be able to place emergency calls when it’s in Bluetooth range of your paired smartphone. Regulatory requirements in the U.S. require that all cellular-capable devices be able to contact emergency services even when they’re not connected to a plan, and this should extend to the LTE Pixel Watch 3. The same is true in Canada, several EU countries, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand, but some may still require that you have an active plan.
Where is Loss of Pulse Detection available?
According to Google, Loss of Pulse Detection is currently available in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The company is still working on getting regulatory clearance in other countries, and has committed to add those to the list when the feature has been cleared.
However, it’s important to note that the availability of Loss of Pulse Detection is dependent on where you’re physically located, not where you purchased your watch or registered your Google account. This means you could find the feature disabled when you’re in an unsupported region. For example, if you live in the U.S. and travel to Canada, Loss of Pulse Detection will be temporarily suspended for the duration of your visit. It will be automatically re-enabled as soon as you return to the U.S.
