Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Wear OS 5.1 changes Touch Lock on the Pixel Watch to disable the crown as well as the screen.
- Users can no longer scroll notifications or check Quick Settings while the feature is active.
- Google support reportedly called the change intentional, but there’s no official confirmation yet.
Touch Lock used to be just a handy way to avoid accidental taps on your Pixel Watch, especially in wet environments. However, a recent update has kicked its functionality up a notch, and not every user is happy about it.
As reported by 9to5Google, Touch Lock’s behavior has changed in Wear OS 5.1. Previously, enabling the setting disabled the touchscreen while still letting you use the rotating crown to scroll through notifications or access Quick Settings. With Wear OS 5.1, Touch Lock now disables both the screen and the crown.
It’s still not clear if this is a deliberate move.
This change means the only way to interact with the Pixel Watch while Touch Lock is active is to long-press the crown for two seconds to disable the feature altogether. You can no longer sneak a look at your notifications or battery percentage without turning the feature off first.
The shift hasn’t gone unnoticed. In one Reddit thread, one frustrated user said they bought the Pixel Watch 2 specifically because Touch Lock let them check notifications in the shower without accidental inputs. Others agreed, calling the change “really frustrating” and “ridiculous.”
It’s still not 100% clear whether this is a deliberate move or a bug. The Reddit user says Google support confirmed it was an intentional change, but Google hasn’t updated the Touch Lock description or publicly clarified the situation. If unintended, a fix could arrive in the next scheduled Pixel Watch update, which is expected in June.
