The March 2026 update for the Pixel Watch has broken the measurement functions of SpO2 and skin temperature in the Fitbit app for a large number of users. Since the deployment of the patch in the week of March 3, 2026, this essential health data has simply disappeared from the dashboard.
A bug affecting multiple generations of watches
The problem began to surface as early as the weekend of March 7-8, 2026, mainly on Reddit threads of the r/PixelWatch subreddit, before spreading to the official Google and Fitbit community forums. Affected users all describe the same experience: after installing the March update, blood oxygen saturation and skin temperature data disappeared from the Fitbit app. According to 9to5Google, the problem is not related to Google's servers, as users who have kept an older version of the firmware continue to see their data displayed normally, which points directly to the update itself.
This bug is not limited to a single model. Owners of the Pixel Watch 2, Pixel Watch 3, and the Pixel Watch 4 have all reported the malfunction, according to reports compiled by Android Authority and Android Central. The first Pixel Watch, lacking a skin temperature sensor, is only affected by the disappearance of SpO2 readings. Users also report, in parallel, a degradation in calorie counting and a decrease in the accuracy of certain fitness metrics, although these points remain isolated reports.
Fitbit app stuck in a loop
The most frustrating aspect of this bug is its invisibility at the time of its occurrence. SpO2 and skin temperature data are collected during sleep, meaning there is no way to test in real-time if the sensor is working: the user must sleep with the watch and find the absence of data the next morning. Several users report that the Fitbit app gets stuck in a loop where the "analyzing" status is displayed indefinitely, without ever showing results.
This situation is particularly concerning for users who rely on the Pixel Watch for medical purposes. One of them, quoted by Android Central, specified that they rely on SpO2 measurements nighttime SpO2 to monitor their health status, and confirmed being affected by the problem. Blood oxygen saturation and body temperature variation are two indicators that can reveal early conditions such as a nascent infection, an episode of overwork, or mild sleep apnea, depriving users of a layer of continuous monitoring.
A user on Reddit hypothesized that the update deleted the baseline historical data, thus preventing the watch from calculating daily reference variations. Observing the oxygen variation graph in the sleep summary, they noticed a flat line for the first hour, which seems consistent with this theory.
Partial solutions before the official fix
Given the absence of an immediate patch from Google, the community has sought solutions on its own, with varying results depending on the devices and configurations. For users who wish to try to resolve the problem before a fix is released, here are the recommended steps in order of increasing invasiveness:
Check that blood oxygen and skin temperature permissions are still enabled in the watch's Fitbit settings (a quick fix that worked for some, according to Android Police).
Clear the Fitbit app cache (less effective, did not solve the problem for the majority of users tested).
Reset the Pixel Watch to factory settings (a drastic but most reliable documented solution at this stage, according to testimonials compiled by Android Central).
A full reset remains the most effective option known to date, but it requires completely reconfiguring the watch, a significant constraint for users who store their health data on the device.
Google confirms working on a fix
On March 10, 2026, the official Reddit account PixelCommunity intervened in a discussion thread dedicated to these issues to indicate that the Pixel Watch team "is aware of this problem and is working on a solution." This is a welcome official confirmation, but Google has not specified a timeline for the patch deployment.
This is not the first time the Pixel Watch line has suffered a regression introduced by an update. Pixel Watch 2 owners will remember a series of problems with the magnetic charging dock. More recently, users of Pixel Watch 1, 2, and 3 had all experienced a regression in step counting, caused by an algorithm change, recalls Android Central. These recurring incidents raise a legitimate question about the rigor of the validation processes applied before each deployment to end-users.
While waiting for Google's fix, affected users can monitor the active discussion thread on the official Google forums and on Reddit to follow the evolution of the situation. For a brand that positions its smartwatches as reliable health tracking tools, capable of detecting significant medical trends, this type of regression represents an image problem as much as a technical one.
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