Pixel Watch users face “Private Space” woes, but fixes are on the way

If you’ve recently updated to Android 15 and love the whole Private Space setup on your phone, there might be a little surprise waiting for you — your Pixel Watch is likely joining in on the privacy party…a little too eagerly.

It turns out that Google’s latest security-minded feature, Private Space, isn’t playing so nice with Wear OS just yet. When you’ve got Private Space enabled, Google says you shouldn’t be seeing any private notifications on your watch. And yet, for many, the opposite is happening. You might even be seeing notifications from apps in Private Space pop up on your wrist, sometimes with a work profile icon.

Google’s official word on the matter is that Pixel Watch shouldn’t be a notification hotspot for Private Space apps. Media controls for Private Space apps are also supposed to stay exclusive to your phone. Yet, Google acknowledges a few quirks are slipping through the cracks. Here’s what Google says:

If your watch is set up to receive bridged notifications from phone apps in Android 15:
• You won’t receive private space notifications on your watch.
• Known issues: For some Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) devices, you might get notifications from private space apps on your watch when private space is unlocked on your phone. These may have a work profile icon badge.
• Even if you don’t have a work profile on your phone, you might find a work profile tab in the Wear OS app if you have private space set up.

So, when’s the fix coming? Google hasn’t shared an exact timeline but hinted that updates to Android and Wear OS should eventually clean things up.

While we wait, there’s some good news. Google just dropped the latest security patch for Pixel Watches this November. And if you’re into the nitty-gritty, more substantial improvements are scheduled for March 2025. It’s a good reminder that Google is actively refining the Pixel Watch experience, even if certain features don’t work flawlessly out of the gate. Oh, and if you’re eyeing the latest Pixel Watch 3? Black Friday deals are looking enticing, with the watch available for as low as $280.

Google has been pretty busy with recent Pixel Watch enhancements. They’re bringing a whole lineup of cool updates, from a glass-like screen protector on the Pixel Watch 3 to a revamped concentric watch face. They’ve also been patching up known bugs, like the “blank screen” bug following the recent Wear OS 5 update.