Old Pixel 6a Replaces Smartwatch for Sleep Tracking as 20–24-Hour Battery Life Proves Limiting
Updated
Updated · How-To Geek · Jun 25
Old Pixel 6a Replaces Smartwatch for Sleep Tracking as 20–24-Hour Battery Life Proves Limiting
1 articles · Updated · How-To Geek · Jun 25
Summary
A spare Google Pixel 6a was turned into a dedicated bedside sleep device after a Galaxy Watch 4 proved uncomfortable to wear overnight and awkward to keep charged.
Placed on the bed, the phone used Sleep as Android to track movement, snoring and nighttime wakeups through its accelerometer, microphone and ambient light sensor, with results the user said broadly matched personal recollection.
The setup was designed to reduce distraction as well as monitor sleep: the phone stayed offline, in grayscale and Night Mode, with Obsidian used for a sleep journal and voice-dumped thoughts before bed.
Sleep as Android’s strongest benefit was behavioral rather than medical, with 11 p.m. bedtime prompts, smart alarms and QR-code dismissal in the kitchen helping enforce a more consistent schedule.
The phone could not replace a smartwatch for heart-rate or blood-oxygen tracking, and the app’s sonar mode performed poorly, but the user concluded an old smartphone was sufficient for basic sleep support.