If you’ve ever started walking or biking directions on your phone only to squint at a tiny arrow on your wrist, Google just fixed that headache. Thanks to the latest feature drop, Pixel Watch and Wear OS devices will now automatically launch Google Maps in full-screen navigation mode when you kick off directions on your phone.
Removing a little friction goes a long way
Sometimes it really is the small things
Sanuj Bhatia / Android Police
Previously, Maps on Wear OS and the Pixel Watch didn’t exactly play nice. Starting navigation on your phone would toss a small arrow notification to your watch — handy, but not exactly usable unless you tapped it to expand into the full Maps interface. That meant extra wrist taps, or worse, fumbling with your phone mid-stride just to keep your bearings.
With the update, that friction is gone. Start walking or cycling navigation on your handset, and your watch immediately pulls up the full-screen Maps UI with step-by-step guidance. No tapping, no waiting — just straight to turn-by-turn directions where you need them. It’s the kind of quality-of-life tweak that feels obvious in hindsight, especially for anyone who actually relies on a Pixel Watch or Wear OS device to keep their phone pocketed.
Google says the change is rolling out over the coming weeks as part of the broader feature drop. It lands alongside other upgrades like Material You-styled visuals across Pixel phones and tablets, plus new Pixel Buds Pro 2 features — including Adaptive Audio and head-gesture controls that let you nod or shake to answer calls.
It’s not the flashiest feature of the bunch, but for folks who walk or cycle with Maps regularly, automatic navigation handoff makes the Pixel Watch feel a lot more like a true companion instead of a notification mirror. Sometimes it’s the small things that make wearable tech actually worth wearing.
