The Pixel Watch's water drop button also stops accidental touches

If you cannot find the Touch Lock button on your Pixel Watch, it was not removed. It was renamed Water Lock, and its icon is now a water drop. Despite the name, it is useful well beyond swimming. It turns off the touch screen so stray taps and splashes do not do things you never meant.

What changed

About a year ago, Google rolled out Wear OS 6, its smartwatch software, to all Pixel Watch models. Touch Lock became Water Lock. The old icon showed a hand with a padlock. The new one is a drop of water, which says much less about what the button does.

The feature also works differently now. Before, it only disabled the touch screen, and the rotating crown could still scroll. Now it turns off both the touch screen and crown rotation. To turn it off, press and hold the crown for two seconds.

When it turns on by itself

• Starting a swim workout turns it on automatically on every Pixel Watch model.
• Pixel Watch 4 and Pixel Watch 5 turn it on when they detect heavy moisture.
• Washing your hands probably will not trigger it, but falling out of a canoe will.

Where it helps beyond water

The author of the How-To Geek piece uses it during sports, yard work and other activities with a lot of movement. After forgetting, he has looked down to find a random app or conversation open on the screen.

Small splashes can be worse than full submersion, because the screen mistakes drops for touches. While kayaking, he rarely got wet above the knees, but splashes still interfered. Once, he heard his sister's voice coming from the watch. It had called her by accident.

Sleep works differently

Sleep is another time you may want the touch screen off. The watch does not disable it when it detects sleep and starts tracking on its own. Bedtime Mode does turn off touch input, tap-to-wake and tilt-to-wake, though the crown stays active. Bedtime Mode can be automated, so it can start without you thinking about it.

What to do

Look for the water drop in Quick Settings and try it before your next workout, chore or paddle. Many people probably overlook it or assume Touch Lock is gone for good, according to the article. It is the same protection against accidental touches, with a new name and a stricter lock.