Some Pixel Watch 5 users are missing a Google Home feature older models already have

A new smartwatch shouldn’t make you miss the one it replaced. Yet barely a month into the Pixel Watch 5‘s life, some early owners are discovering that their older Google watches can do something the latest model cannot: show live camera feeds in the Google Home app.

Several reports on Reddit and the Pixel Watch Community describe what happens when affected users select a camera in the Home app: Instead of loading the video, the watch displays a “Control more features on your phone” message and an “Open on phone” button. The feature still works normally on their older Pixel Watches.

Several Pixel Watch 5 owners describe the same behavior with Nest doorbells, outdoor cameras, and third-party cameras, while feeds remain accessible on their phones. However, it clearly isn’t affecting every unit. Community product experts and other owners say live view works properly on their Pixel Watch 5, as it does on the Pixel Watch 4.

That inconsistency makes Google’s documentation especially confusing. Its support page says live video, two-way talk, and Quick Responses are currently available only on the Pixel Watch 3 and will reach other Pixel Watch and Wear OS models “soon.” Yet owners are already using live view on Pixel Watch 4 and 5.

The same page has troubleshooting instructions for the exact symptoms being reported, including missing streams, an “Open on phone” prompt, and the message shown in the shared images. Google recommends updating every app, waiting four hours, force-stopping Home, and restarting the watch and phone. But affected owners say updates, reinstalling the app, clearing its data, and even factory resets haven’t helped.

One owner said that Google support could only offer a replacement. But as of this writing, there’s no update on whether the new unit solved the problem.

Still, the few cases we’ve seen online point more toward a software, account, or server-side glitch than faulty hardware, although the exact cause remains unconfirmed. Reports remain limited this early in the Pixel Watch 5 rollout, but we’ve contacted Google for comment.