Which Smartwatch Has The Best Safety Features? I Tested Them All, And Here's How Google Fares

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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• The Pixel Watch 4 outer work is free for astatine slightest 2 years.
• The LTE exemplary is required for outer connectivity and phone-free information features.
• Some information features are automatic, and others are initiated manually. Most are text-based communications

2025 is shaping up to beryllium nan twelvemonth of satellite-powered smartwatches, pinch Google, Apple, and Garmin each embracing off-grid emergency services for erstwhile you're beyond cellular coverage.

The outer acquisition for each of these 3 varies, truthful make judge to cheque retired nan articles connected nan Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Garmin Fenix 8 Pro for much specifications connected what is required for those distant communications.

Also: I tested nan champion Android smartwatches of 2025 - these are my favorites

The Google Pixel Watch 4 LTE model has nan largest arsenal of information features and is nan smartwatch you should see if you are an Android personification who explores nan awesome outdoors. It connects successful respective ways to thief you get thief erstwhile needed, and Google offers 1 of nan astir user-friendly experiences done each of these options.

1. Satellite support

Having entree to outer services erstwhile extracurricular of cellular sum connected a watch is an awesome engineering feat. With a Pixel Watch 4 LTE model, you are provided this work for astatine slightest 2 years without immoderate fees. 

One awesome quality betwixt what Google offers and what Apple and Garmin connection is that outer communications are exclusive to emergency situations and not for elemental location updates aliases position messaging to family and friends.

Matthew Miller/ZDNET

Your Pixel Watch 4 will ever effort connecting to your LTE work first, but if you are retired of range, past you tin still usage disposable satellites to initiate communications. The Pixel Watch 4 will corroborate your GPS awesome truthful that your location tin beryllium shared pinch responders. 

Also: Forget Whoop: This fittingness set efficaciously tracked my workouts and has nary subscription

The watch will past measurement you done a fewer prompts to specify your emergency for nan responder. The emergency tin beryllium a aesculapian one, a crime, a fire, aliases immoderate different situation, and nan prompts will besides inquire really agelong nan business has been going on. The outer relationship guideline will past look connected your watch and bespeak wherever you request to position yourself to make a relationship pinch nan satellite. Once a relationship is made, nan afloat connection will beryllium sent to responders and your selected emergency contacts.

I've learned that Google really uses nan Garmin emergency consequence halfway for this outer emergency service, truthful you tin spot that it is simply a tried-and-true service. You will person matter responses and past beryllium capable to nonstop return messages via nan watch keyboard aliases voice-to-text.

2. Manually initiated information features

There are a mates of unsocial information features we person seen connected Pixel Watch models earlier that are cleanable for this clip of year, erstwhile it gets acheronian early, and you want to make judge others cognize wherever you are.

With Emergency Sharing on your Pixel Watch 4, simply pat nan large reddish Start button, prime contacts from your emergency interaction list, and take to stock your real-time location. Your contacts will person a matter connection that you person initiated this location tracking, and past they will beryllium capable to spot you connected Google Maps connected their phones.

Matthew Miller/ZDNET

On nan Pixel Watch 4, a show will look pinch options to extremity sharing your location, quickly telephone your emergency contact, and a fastener to initiate a telephone to 911. This is simply a awesome action for group stepping to their cars aft a precocious nighttime shift, going connected a locomotion successful a caller location, aliases immoderate different business wherever you whitethorn mobility your safety.

Also: I tried nan Google Pixel Watch 4 - and these cardinal features made it consciousness indispensable

The characteristic I for illustration to usage erstwhile I spell moving is nan Safety Check that has been a staple of Pixel Watch models for a mates of years. Tap to commencement a information cheque connected your watch, prime your activity (walking home, going for a run, taking transportation, and more) and participate a planned long for nan activity, and yet prime nan emergency contacts that you want informed if you do not manually extremity nan timer for your activity. You tin initiate a telephone to nan person, widen nan timer, extremity nan information check, commencement emergency sharing, aliases telephone 911 correct from your watch.

3. Automatic information features

Matthew Miller/ZDNET

In immoderate cases, you whitethorn acquisition an incident wherever you are incapable to initiate a manual telephone for help, and successful that case, Google has a fewer automatic information features successful nan Pixel Watch 4. These automatic features include:

• Fall detection: If you acquisition a very difficult autumn that results successful a accelerated alteration successful nan accelerometer, which nan on-device instrumentality learning determines is difficult capable to perchance injure you, an emergency telephone whitethorn beryllium initiated. I knowledgeable a difficult autumn a mates of years agone during a Tough Mudder arena that started a call, but if it goes disconnected and you are fine, past you tin clear nan alert earlier 911 is called.
  
• Car clang detection: If you are progressive successful a car clang and don't respond to nan alert that pops up, your Pixel Watch will automatically telephone emergency services and supply them pinch your location.
  
• Loss of beat detection: This characteristic whitethorn person saved my dad's life a fewer years ago. If your watch does not observe a beat and you do not respond to nan sound and countdown, past emergency services will beryllium called pinch your location.
  

Bottom line

The Google Pixel Watch 4 has a rich | postulation of features, truthful it tin service arsenic your guardian angel and thief you get nan thief you request successful a number of situations. If these services liking you, make judge that you salary nan other $100 for nan LTE model. Google moreover provides you pinch 2 years of data, not afloat cellular work pinch telephone calling support, for free. For calls, you will request to adhd work done your mobile carrier.

I ideate that by adjacent year, we'll commencement proceeding much stories astir really nan Pixel Watch 4 has saved lives wrong and extracurricular of cellular coverage. Just watch.