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You can use Pixel Watch to track your heart rate with your Peloton workout equipment now
Earlier this month, Samsung and Peloton announced an update to the Peloton app for the Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 5 that would allow the smartwatch to connect to your Peloton workout equipment and track your heart rate.
At no point did either company mention that the feature would also work with Google's Pixel Watch, but as it turns out, the Pixel Watch is indeed supported.
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I accidentally discovered the functionality today after putting setting up the Pixel Watch on a different Android phone. During that process, and shortly before a Peloton workout, I signed into the Peloton app and was asked if I wanted to install the Wear OS companion app. I allowed the app to install on the Pixel Watch, and then a follow-up prompt asked if I wanted to use the Pixel Watch to track my heart rate during Peloton workouts. I said yes, and immediately went to change into my workout clothes to test it.
I selected a 20-minute class on my Peloton Tread and then opened the Peloton app on the Pixel Watch. And, there it was, a prompt asking if I wanted to connect my Pixel Watch to my Peloton Tread for the selected class.
From there, the experience was mostly the same as it is on the Apple Watch (which has had this feature for awhile now). My heart rate was displayed on the Tread's display throughout the workout, with various colors indicating how fast my heart was beating and the intensity of the overall workout.
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However, there were several instances of the heart rate being replaced with a loading icon while the Tread waited for the Watch to send more data. Whenever I saw that all I had to do was raise my wrist and wake the watch and it went away.
Overall the experience was seamless and surely a welcome addition for those who use Android phones, own a Pixel Watch or a compatible Samsung Galaxy Watch model and want to use it to track workouts with their Peloton equipment.
Why the Pixel Watch wasn't mentioned when the feature launched in early April is a mystery.