Step-by-step workouts are rolling out to the Pixel Watch 3 and newer models, starting November 10, according to Google. The feature puts live guidance on your wrist during each exercise of a workout, and it keeps your phone and watch in sync while you train.
Google first announced it with the launch of Pixel Watch 5. Now that it is reaching existing watches too, owners of older models can use it without buying new hardware.
What do step-by-step workouts do?
Google says the watch shows live guidance for each exercise as you move through a session. You can see the instructions on the watch or on your phone, and the two stay synchronized. After you end the workout, your stats appear in the Google Health app and on the watch.
You can also log reps and weights from your wrist and watch live metrics on either screen, which Google presents as a way to stay motivated toward your health goals.
Where do the workouts come from?
Google names two sources:
- A personalized workout from the Google Health Coach
- A custom exercise routine you build yourself in the Google Health app
Gadgets & Wearables, describing a Google demo before the rollout, reported that the Coach can lay out a full session with exercises, sets, reps and weights, and that you can also pick the exercises, exact reps, weights and rest timers yourself. It said tapping start on the phone launches the session on a Pixel Watch 5, so the phone can stay in your pocket. The same report said the watch shows the current exercise, form guidance, the prescribed reps and weight, and live heart rate, and that you can preview the next exercise or swap one if equipment is taken. Treat those details as a description of the demo, since Google’s own announcement is shorter.
Which watches and phones are covered?
Google’s announcement names the Pixel Watch 3 and newer models. It does not list phone requirements in the post, and its footnote says availability varies and that some features are available only on select devices. The Pixel Watch 5 announcement says that watch works with most phones running a recent version of Android, so check the compatibility details for your own model before relying on it.
What does it cost?
Google lists no separate price for step-by-step workouts. The footnote says the Google Health Coach requires a Google Health Premium subscription, sold separately, along with the Google Health app and an internet connection. Google also says the features are not intended for medical purposes.
Other countries may differ, and Google does not give prices for other markets in the sources we reviewed, so check the subscription price shown in the Google Health app where you live.
If you want a new watch, Google’s Pixel Watch 5 announcement listed $399 for the 41mm model and $429 for the 45mm model. Those are Google’s launch prices from that post, and retailers may charge differently today.
Who it suits
Pixel Watch 3 and Pixel Watch 4 owners. You get a feature that Google first tied to Pixel Watch 5, with no new watch required.
People who follow a gym routine. Logging reps and weights on your wrist saves picking up the phone between sets.
Readers who like a planned session. If you want a coach-built plan or your own routine laid out step by step, this is the point of the feature.
People who do not want another subscription. The Coach plans need Google Health Premium, so weigh the monthly cost against what you would use. Building your own routine in the Google Health app is described separately, but Google does not say whether that part needs Premium.
What is still unknown
Google does not say how many exercises the feature supports, which workout types it covers beyond strength-style routines, or in which countries the Coach is available today. It does not say whether manually built routines work without a Premium subscription. It also does not give a rollout schedule beyond “starting today”, so your watch may not show it right away.
Next step
Open the Google Health app and check whether the Coach or a custom routine option appears for your Pixel Watch. Read the Premium terms in the app for your country before you subscribe, and update your watch software if the feature has not appeared yet.
