Last year, we reported about an upcoming feature related to unlocking Android phones with your smartwatch. However, the so-called Watch Unlock is still just a rumor and now we may know why.
According to 9to5Google, Google is preparing to launch this feature alongside the Google Pixel Watch 3, which will offer UWB connectivity. This will allow faster and more secure phone unlocking without using your fingerprint reader or face unlock.
Hidden deep in the Play Services app source code, is a reference to “UWB Ranging” for Watch Unlock. However, the code also reveals that the feature may not work in countries where UWB is not an officially certified connectivity protocol.
Regardless, these two leaks are a strong indication that Google is working on a more advanced Watch unlock system than initially thought, and that a UWB chip inside the Pixel Watch 3 will finally make it possible.
