Older Pixel Watch models lose free cellular access to safety features
Google has announced that the LTE versions of the Pixel Watch 2 and 3 will lose free access to Safety Signal after December 12th. A mobile plan will be needed for the safety features to keep working over cellular networks.
Google has said in a short community post that the LTE models of the Pixel Watch 2 and Pixel Watch 3 are losing free access to Safety Signal. The service allowed features such as Emergency SOS, Fall Detection and Safety Check to work over cellular networks without the owner needing a carrier plan.
The connectivity was included as part of a Google Health Premium subscription. After December 12th, the free access will end, and users will have to pay for a mobile plan if they want to keep using Safety Signal on an LTE network.
Transition period
Users who currently have free access will be told about the change through notifications and an email. A 30-day transition period begins when the email is sent, during which the Safety Signal features remain available without a mobile plan. Access still ends at the mid-December cutoff.
What will keep working
After the deadline, the emergency features will continue to work on the Pixel Watch 2 and 3 without a mobile plan, but only while the watch is connected to Wi-Fi or paired with a smartphone over Bluetooth.
