Google Clock app unavailable on non-Pixel Wear OS watches

Owners of several nonPixel Wear OS smartwatches are reporting that Google’s Clock app has become unavailable or incompatible on their devices, preventing new installations and breaking crossdevice alarm syncing. The problem surfaced in early September and has persisted over the past few weeks, with the bulk of complaints coming from users of Samsung Galaxy Watch and OnePlus Watch models. Pixel Watch devices appear to be unaffected.

Affected smartwatch owners say that searching the Google Play Store returns no install option for the Clock app, and that the app’s Play Store listing now flags their watches as incompatible. In some cases the Play Store displays the message "This item is not compatible with your device." Users who already have the app installed report that it remains usable, but that a factory reset or removal would leave them unable to reinstall it.

The Clock app provides basic timekeeping functions such as alarms, timers, and stopwatches and normally synchronizes alarms and settings between a phone and a paired watch. Users who attempted workarounds, including sideloading the app’s APK or installing the app on a paired phone in hopes that it would appear as...