Pixel Watch 3 finally gets the one-handed tricks it should’ve had all along

Google is finally giving Pixel Watch 3 users what they want: easier ways to control their watch without having to tap the screen all the time.

As part of its latest Android feature rollout and the March Pixel Drop, Google confirmed that one-handed gestures (previously rolled out to the Pixel Watch 4) are coming to the Pixel Watch 3. Soon, you’ll be able to answer calls, take photos, or pause a workout with simple moves like a double pinch or a wrist turn. You won’t need your other hand anymore.

If that sounds familiar, it should. In December 2025, Android Authority found early signs of new gesture controls for Google smartwatches. The code mentioned a double-pinch gesture and a wrist-turn action, which are now officially being released.

At the time, it wasn’t clear if these gestures would be limited to one model or available more widely. Now it’s confirmed that they’re coming to the Pixel Watch 3, even though earlier Pixel Watch models already had some gesture support.

With the new update, Pixel Watch 3 users can double pinch to answer calls, turn their wrist for certain controls, or use the watch without touching the screen at all, as you can see in the image above.

For quite some time, Apple and Samsung users have had easy, one-handed double-tap gestures for these situations. Google users, on the other hand, had to tap their small smartwatch screens with their noses or try to free up a hand. Early Android Wear watches had wrist flicks, but Google dropped them when switching to Wear OS 3. Now, that gap is finally closed.