If you don’t use some of the built-in apps on your Google Pixel Watch, you cannot currently uninstall them, but you can disable them.
When you disable an app, it won’t show up on your list of apps, and it also won’t be updated.
For example, I don’t subscribe to YouTube Music, so I really don’t want that app on my watch. I prefer to uninstall it entirely, but since that isn’t an option (at least, not yet), what I can do is disable it, so it’s not actively showing up on my watch.
I know quite a few people who don’t want to use Fitbit on their Pixel watches (preferring to use Google Fit or third-party apps instead), and they are in the same boat. They can’t uninstall Fitbit, but they can disable it!
So let’s learn how.
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What’s the difference between disabling and uninstalling an app? 
When you uninstall an app from your Pixel Watch, you completely remove it from your watch, including its operating files and any data that the app stores for you.
When you disable an app, the app itself remains on the watch, but you cannot use it. It doesn’t update and doesn’t show up on your list of apps. However, you can re-enable the app to use it again.
While you can uninstall most apps, such as any app, especially third-party apps, you added after setting up your watch; you cannot uninstall your system and built-in apps, including apps like YouTube Music and Fitbit.
So it’s a good idea to determine if you can uninstall an app or if you need to disable it. The easiest way is to open the Settings app on your watch > Apps & notifications > App info.
Any apps listed there are apps you added to the watch after setting it up–and you can uninstall these.
If an app isn’t listed just beneath App info, you’ll find it in System Apps, which means you can disable but not uninstall it.q
How to disable built-in system apps on your Pixel Watch 
- Open the Settings app on your Pixel Watch.
- Choose Apps & Notifications.
- Select App Info.
- Scroll down and tap System Apps.
- Find the app you want to disable and tap it.
- Look for the option to Disable and tap it.
- If you don’t see Disable, look for Remove Upgrades and tap that.
- After removing any updates, you should find the option to Disable the app.
- Repeat for any additional apps you want to disable.
For whatever reason, if your Pixel Watch has two entries for YouTube Music like mine did, disable them both.
Your watch should immediately update once you disable an app. However, restart your watch if you still see the disabled app on your list of apps.
How to uninstall apps from your Pixel Watch
There are two ways to uninstall apps from your Pixel Watch: the Play Store and the Settings app.
Uninstalling apps using the Play Store
Uninstall an app on your Pixel watch: open the Play Store on your watch, scroll, and tap Manage apps. Choose the app you wish to remove and select Uninstall.
Uninstall an app for your Pixel watch using the Google Watch app: on your paired phone, open the Google Watch app. Choose the Play Store and select the app you want to remove. Then, tap Uninstall.
Uninstalling apps using the Settings app
- Open the Settings app on your Pixel Watch.
- Choose Apps & Notifications.
- Select App Info.
- Tap any app just listed below App Info but above System Apps.
- Select Uninstall.
Your watch should immediately update once you uninstall an app. However, restart your watch if you still see the app in your list of apps.
Final thoughts
I hope this short post helped you better manage your Pixel Watch apps.
One thing I love about the Pixel Watch, especially when compared to Fitbit, is all the third-party apps you can install on your watch. Some of my favorites include Samsung Calculator, Todoist, Strava, Spotify, Sleep Cycle, Facer, MyFitnessPal, and Calm. I wish the Pixel supported Pandora–but at this time, it doesn’t.
It’s easy to discover apps in the Google Play Store on your watch or phone.