Google has introduced a new Bluetooth tracking feature on the Pixel Watch 3 that could soon improve its ability to locate other devices. With the March release of the Wear OS 5.1 update, your Pixel Watch 3 quietly gained support for a technology known as Channel Sounding. While it isn’t fully active, this feature could allow your watch to locate other Bluetooth-enabled devices with impressive precision.
What is Channel Sounding, and why does it matter?
You’re probably used to Bluetooth-based trackers estimating distances based on signal strength. This method is prone to interference from physical barriers like walls or other wireless signals, making the tracking unreliable.
Channel Sounding takes a different approach. Instead of relying on signal strength, it measures how long multiple radio signals travel between your device and another. These signals are sent across different frequencies, allowing your device to calculate the distance and direction of the connected device. According to the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), this could provide centimetre-level accuracy—a huge leap over the guesswork Bluetooth trackers often rely on today.
While Apple’s AirTag uses Ultra-Wideband (UWB) technology to achieve highly accurate tracking, UWB requires extra components like a dedicated radio and antenna, which makes devices more expensive. Channel Sounding’s beauty is that it works with existing Bluetooth hardware. That means it can be rolled out to many devices without increasing hardware costs.
Why isn’t it working yet on your Pixel Watch 3?
Even though the Pixel Watch 3 supports Channel Sounding, it’s inactive. That’s because your watch is one of the first Android devices to include support for this feature, and it needs to be paired with another device that also supports it. Both devices must have compatible hardware and the right software updates.
Bluetooth 6.0, announced in September 2024, is required to enable Channel Sounding. While the Pixel Watch 3, launched nearly 10 months ago, already includes the necessary hardware, other devices in your ecosystem may not yet be updated to support this newer Bluetooth version. Manufacturers must roll out firmware and software updates to enable the feature before it can be widely used.
So even though your watch is ready, the ecosystem isn’t—yet. As more companies catch up and release updates for phones, tablets, headphones, and other accessories, you can start using Channel Sounding for precise tracking without needing extra hardware.
The future of Bluetooth tracking is already in your hands
The potential of Channel Sounding is big. Like how Apple’s UWB-powered Find My app helps you easily track down an AirTag with visual cues, you’ll soon be able to do something similar using your Bluetooth-enabled devices. Without extra chips or added cost, you’ll eventually be able to pinpoint your lost earbuds, phone, or watch with surprising accuracy.
Until then, your Pixel Watch 3 will already be equipped for the next generation of Bluetooth tracking. All that’s left is for the rest of your devices to catch up.
