[Updated] Google Pixel Watch screen 'AOD burn in' & 'dead pixels' affecting a section of users (potential workarounds)

New updates are being added at the bottom of this story…….

Original story (published on October 20, 2022) follows:

Google’s Pixel Watch has already set the bar high for other smartwatches within a few days of its release.

But that doesn’t mean it’s immune to various bugs and issues. For instance, we recently highlighted that the Pixel Watch ‘sleep tracking’ was not working.

Google Pixel Watch screen ‘AOD burn in’

A number of Pixel Watch users are now reporting an issue where the AOD feature is causing the screen to burn in.

I have my pixel watch for two days and used the classic watchface with always on display enabled. Today when scrolling through the Google home app on the watch I noticed burn in of the 4 utility rings from the watch app. Has anybody else noticed that?
Source

I’ve seen some people talk about screen burn in: mine burned in after one 30-minute workout from the workout screen. Also got burned in from AOD. I’m thinking about exchanging it for another one, is this just a defect?
Source

Even using the watch for a reasonable amount of time is leading up to the pixels burning into the screen.

This has prompted some users to get a replacement but the issue remains nonetheless.

However, there’s a section of users who feel that image retention is quite common in devices with OLED displays which is more often than not temporary.

Dead pixels on the screen

Apart from the burn-in issue, Pixel Watch users are also reporting that they are seeing some trembling dots on their wearables.

Started seeing bright red dots after a day of use when scrolling through Apps, Settings and any page with these style bubbles. They don’t show on any watch faces or tiles. Reached out to Google support about it.
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The constant flickering of the dead pixels (typically red, yellow, or white) only occurs while scrolling through apps and doesn’t appear on every watchface.

This is quite frustrating for users as it is affecting the display quality of the watch.

Potential workaround

Unfortunately, the only way to avoid the AOD burn in issue is to turn off the feature until Google comes up with a permanent fix.

Those who keep seeing the flickering dots/ dead pixels stacked on one another can reset factory settings to fix it temporarily.

A factory reset seemed to fix mine, not sure how!
Source

Google hasn’t commented on the issue yet so those who are struggling with the screen/display related issues, can try the above-mentioned workarounds.

We’ll keep tabs on latest developments and update this space to reflect the same.

06:10 pm (IST): Google has confirmed to 9to5Google that Pixel Watch is not affected by the burn-in issue and is just image retention. You can check out the complete statement below:

What you are seeing is image retention. It is a non-permanent issue that affects OLED displays. It is not a precursor to burn-in and should not be confused with burn-in. The image retention will go away but the longer it is on the screen the longer it will take to go away.

The Google Pixel Watch uses a software algorithm to shift the brightness of lit pixels every minute to reduce the possibility of image retention.

This prolongs the time before image retention is seen and reduces the time for the image to disappear. If users do experience this, it will go away over time, but users can also turn off AOD and/or use bedtime mode for sleep so the screen stays off overnight. (Source)

Note: You can also check out our Google Pixel Watch update and bug/issue tracker for more related coverage.

Featured image source: Google

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