Recent updates to Wear OS 6.1 on Pixel Watch devices and the Wear OS 6-based One UI 8 Watch on Samsung’s Galaxy Watch series have introduced an unexpected problem affecting third-party watch faces. Users have reported that these watch faces are not displaying correctly, causing a frustrating experience on devices designed to be both functional and stylish.
The issue centres around the interaction between the always-on display (AOD) mode and the full watch face that appears when the watch is unlocked. According to reports from users on both Google and Samsung forums, elements from the always-on display version of third-party watch faces remain visible even after the watch is unlocked. This overlap makes the full watch face difficult to read and diminishes the overall usability of the watch.
This problem seems to affect devices running Wear OS 6 and 6.1, including the latest Pixel Watch and Galaxy Watch models running Samsung’s One UI 8 Watch interface. The bug disrupts the smooth transition between the AOD and active watch face states, which is a key feature for smartwatch users who rely on glanceable information without fully waking their device.
Wear OS 6.1 was rolled out to Pixel Watch devices earlier this month, promising various improvements and optimisations. However, this particular glitch with third-party watch faces has become a notable downside for users who prefer customised watch faces over the default options. Samsung’s Galaxy Watch series, which also uses Wear OS 6-based software with One UI 8, is similarly impacted, indicating that the issue is likely rooted in the shared Wear OS platform rather than a manufacturer-specific problem.
As these watches continue to evolve with software updates, the community is keeping an eye out for a fix that will restore the seamless experience expected from these devices. Given the importance of watch faces in personalising smartwatches, resolving this bug will be crucial for both Google and Samsung to maintain user satisfaction.
For now, users experiencing this issue may need to revert to default watch faces or await an official update that addresses the problem. It remains to be seen how quickly Google and Samsung will respond to these reports, but the feedback from forums highlights the significance of this glitch in everyday use.
Source: PiunikaWeb