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Google Health ruined my Pixel Watch — but this $170 alternative saved the day

After getting fed up with the Google Health app, I decided to swap out my Pixel Watch for a cheaper alternative. And I'm not going back.

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I’m a big fan of Google’s Pixel Watches. Although the first model didn’t really click with me, the Pixel Watch 2 made me a believer in Google-made smartwatches — and the Pixel Watch 3 is so good that I still use it to this very day, nearly two years after its release.

As such, it brings me no joy to say that the current Pixel Watch experience is a mess. Not necessarily because of anything to do with the watches themselves, but because of the overhauled Google Health app that was introduced in May.

The new Google Health experience is so frustrating that it’s made me actively dislike wearing the Pixel Watch. It got so bad, in fact, that I started going through my drawers of smartwatches to find something else to wear. And in doing so, I stumbled across a budget $170 Amazfit watch I completely forgot I had. After a couple of weeks with it, I’m not missing my Pixel Watch one bit.

Are you happy with your Pixel Watch experience in 2026?

Google Health was ruining my Pixel Watch

As I’m sure is the case for many of you reading this, health/fitness tracking is the primary reason I wear a smartwatch in the first place. Whether I’m tracking outdoor runs or strength training sessions at the gym, keeping tabs on my sleep, or ensuring vital health metrics are in order, all of that data is why I like wearing a tiny wrist computer.

While the Pixel Watch still tracks these things just fine, the problem is that viewing all of this information in the Google Health companion app is a nightmare.

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