Google’s July 27th rollout of Play Services v26.29 and Play Store v52.5 delivers a handful of tangible improvements, headlined by a long-awaited convenience for Pixel Watch owners and some overdue naming consistency across Google’s sprawling device ecosystem.
Express Pay setup finally lands on the wrist
Express Pay – Google’s tap-to-pay shortcut that bypasses the Wallet app – originally debuted in the March 2026 Pixel Feature Drop for the Pixel Watch 2 and newer models. Until now, however, enabling it required fiddling with your phone. That awkward dance is over. With the Play Services v26.29 update, Pixel Watch users can activate Express Pay directly from the watch’s settings interface. The change eliminates a friction point and makes the feature feel like a true first-class citizen of the wearable, not an afterthought bolted on from the phone.
Consistency tweaks: Linked apps and Play Shorts additions
Not every change is flashy, but small refinements add up. The erstwhile “Connected apps” menu – found on phones, tablets, TVs, cars, and watches – has been rebadged as “Linked apps.” It’s a minor label swap, yet it finally syncs the in-device terminology with what Google’s own help pages have used for ages, killing confusion for anyone navigating support docs.
On the entertainment front, the Play Store v52.5 update enriches the Play Shorts feed with comic book previews. Users can now swipe vertically through panels from popular titles, tapping to dive into full issues when something catches their eye. The same delivery also promises a steadier Sidekick Dashboard within Play Games and, thanks to an updated Engage SDK, enables resumable travel searches from third-party apps – pick up that flight or hotel hunt right where you left off instead of starting over.
Under the hood improvements and wider ecosystem polish
Beyond the user-facing highlights, the release bundle includes a raft of maintenance work. Bug fixes for system management and diagnostics tighten phone performance, new developer tools strengthen Maps integrations, and utility and wallet enhancements stretch across Auto, PC, TV, and Wear platforms. In Brazil specifically, Gboard now supports Pix users in communication apps, a localized boost that broadens the keyboard’s payment utility. None of these tweaks grab headlines, but they are the type of steady housekeeping that keeps the Android ecosystem humming.
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Google’s July 27 Play Services update lets Pixel Watch owners set up Express Pay directly on the watch, with smoother onboarding for new users.
The “Connected apps” menu is now called “Linked apps” across phones, tablets, TVs, cars, and watches.