Google says the Pixel Watch 3 cannot be repaired

Smartwatches are probably broken a lot more often than phones, for the simple advantage that they can serve as exercise trackers and, you know, sit on your wrist. So it’s a shame that their small electronics are also very difficult to repair. Extremely difficult in the case of the new Pixel Watch 3, apparently. A Google representative said the company won’t even attempt to repair the watch.

“Pixel Watch 3 is a replacement only,” a Google representative told Android Authority. To be clear, the Pixel Watch 3 is still under warranty: one year on parts and (at least on paper) basic waterproofing, not including impact damage. If you make a claim, you will only receive a full replacement of the watch, and not necessarily a new one.

Google took a similar approach offering replacements only for the Pixel Watch 2, although this allowed the original Pixel Watch to be repaired. It’s a bad sign for anyone worried about electronic waste (a problem that wearables like smartwatches and true wireless earbuds are particularly bad at dealing with) or fixing their own gadgets. The team at iFixit probably has some nice words about it.

Regular users may have to jump through a lot of hoops to actually take advantage of the warranty that comes with a basic purchase. Google offers an expensive upgrade in its extended Preferred Care warranty, a $4 per month service that covers accidental damage and screen cracks or breaks. But if you actually use that to replace a watch, you’ll pay a $49 service fee (if it remains the same as the Pixel Watch 2).

If your watch’s one-year warranty coverage has expired and you haven’t gotten extended coverage, you should probably just buy a new one. Perhaps in view of a smartwatch that is easier to repair… not that they are easy to find.

Device repairability, already a sore point among right-to-repair advocates and environmentalists, is becoming a hot topic for more mainstream users as well. Aside from basic concerns about avoiding electronic waste, no one likes the idea that their $500 watch has no repair options when the battery inevitably starts to deteriorate after a year or two of constant use.