It's official: Google sets the date for Pixel Watches losing Safety Signal

Safety Signal for the Pixel Watch 2 and Pixel Watch 3 LTE is exclusively available to Google Health Premium subscribers. Earlier this week, we got some clues that the feature may be going away for good, but didn’t know when. That mystery is now being solved, as Google has officially set a date for Safety Signal’s demise.

In a community announcement, Google said it will end support for Safety Signal on December 12, 2026. Current users will be notified by email and push notifications about the change, which will trigger a “30-day transition period.”

For the uninitiated, Safety Signal enables safety features like Emergency SOS and Fall Detection over cellular, even if you don’t have a separate cellular plan or a phone nearby. With the option now ending, users who want to keep that flexibility will need to make alternate arrangements, such as adding a cellular plan from their preferred carrier.

In addition to that cellular option, users will also retain the ability to take advantage of these safety tools with their Pixel Watch models as long as they are on Wi-Fi, or connected to their phone over Bluetooth.

A standalone carrier plan remains the best way to stay covered when away from a paired phone. However, for people who rarely leave their phones behind, Safety Signal reaching end-of-life status will hardly make a difference.

Google has likely determined that most users have a cellular plan on their smartwatch or keep their phone handy at all times to use these safety features. It’s clear, however, that Safety Signal is another casualty among the long list of services killed by Google.