A bug is rendering the Google Weather app unusable on certain Wear OS smartwatches, showing loading errors and missing data. The issue affects users still relying on the legacy Weather app, with no clear timeline yet for an official fix.
A serious bug is currently disrupting the Google Weather app experience on some Wear OS smartwatches, leaving affected users without reliable weather information. The issue comes at an awkward time, as Google is in the middle of transitioning away from the older Weather app in favor of the newer Pixel Weather experience.
Google has already begun phasing out the original Weather app on Wear OS. Pixel Watch models from the second generation onward now support Pixel Weather, while Google has blocked new installations of the older app but kept it running for users who still depend on it. That decision now appears to be causing problems for owners of unsupported devices.
Users who continue to rely on the legacy Google Weather app on the first generation Pixel Watch or on Samsung Galaxy Watch models are reporting that the app no longer functions at all. According to a first gen Pixel Watch owner who contacted Google support, the company has acknowledged the issue and confirmed that it is a known bug. Google reportedly plans to address it in a future firmware update, although no specific release timeline has been shared.
The lack of clarity is frustrating for users. Google support has advised affected owners to manually check for updates periodically and, in the meantime, to consider using alternative weather apps. That guidance suggests the fix may not arrive quickly, leaving users without a working first party weather solution for an extended period.
Screenshots shared by 9to5Google show the nature of the problem. When opening the Google Weather app, users see a “Loading…” message followed by a “Can’t download weather data” error. A Retry button is displayed but appears to do nothing. The bug also affects Weather tiles, including Sun, UV Index, and Forecast, which show messages such as “Loading weather” or “Couldn’t retrieve your location.”
This issue is not limited to Pixel Watch owners. Samsung Galaxy Watch users who prefer Google Weather over Samsung’s built in weather app are also impacted. While weather information can still be accessed through Gemini using voice commands, that workaround is far less convenient than checking glanceable data directly on the watch face or tiles.
For now, the only practical alternative is to switch to a third party weather app. AccuWeather remains the most popular option on Wear OS, offering reliable forecasts and tile support, although it lacks the tight Google ecosystem integration many users prefer.
Not all Pixel Watch models are affected. The second and third generation Pixel Watch support Pixel Weather as part of Wear OS 6, and the Pixel Watch 4 ships with the app preinstalled. These devices continue to receive weather updates without issue.
Google originally launched the Wear OS Weather app in 2022 but replaced it with Pixel Weather in September as part of a broader push toward more polished, feature rich system apps. While the transition makes sense from a software quality standpoint, the current bug highlights the downside of leaving some users dependent on an aging app that is no longer actively maintained.
Until Google delivers a fix, affected Wear OS users are left with limited options and an increasingly unreliable default weather experience on their smartwatches.
