App permissions normally let apps access different parts of your phone or watch, like your contacts, location, or camera. While managing permissions is important for privacy and security, dealing with them on both your phone and watch separately can be a bit of a hassle.
Google appears to be addressing this. A hidden switch uncovered in recent versions of the Pixel Watch app allows automatic syncing of app permissions, as reported by the Google News Telegram channel and corroborated by Android code expert Mishaal Rahman. Once enabled, your watch will mirror the permissions you’ve carefully set on your phone.
Image Credit: Google News Telegram channel
This hidden feature has been lurking in the background of the companion app’s code. If activated, it reveals a new “Sync permissions from phone” setting. The description is super clear about its function: “Give your watch the same app permissions that you’ve allowed on this phone.” While currently not accessible to regular users, this switch made its first appearance in Android 14 QPR1 Beta 2, as spotted by Rahman at the time.While there’s no concrete release date attached to this feature just yet, its presence in the code is a strong sign that Google is actively working on it. It might roll out with an upcoming Pixel Watch companion app update, or it could be tucked away until a larger Android update, perhaps the Android 15 public release later this year or in one of the Android 15 public betas.
This new permission syncing feature is a small but significant quality-of-life improvement. It means you won’t have to painstakingly adjust app permissions on your Pixel Watch. As a Pixel Watch owner, I appreciate the streamlining of this process, as it makes using my smartwatch that much smoother.
