Summary
Compatible WatchesNew FeaturesRelease DateCommentsGoogle has announced a brand new version of its smartwatch system, Wear OS. Called Wear OS 3, it will gradually arrive on the market, but for which watches and with which functions? We take stock.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic running Wear OS 3 // Source: Frandroid
Last spring, Google announced a major innovation for Wear OS, its operating system for connected watches. Resulting from a merger with Tizen, Samsung's competing OS, Wear OS 3 is gradually arriving on the market.
But what are the compatible connected watches, the integrated functionalities and the new features planned for this new version of Wear OS? This is what we will see in this complete file.
Connected watches compatible with Wear OS 3
If Google announced the redesign of Wear OS on May 18, 2021, few models currently benefit from this new software resulting from the merger with Tizen . To tell the truth, only two watches are already compatible, but other models are already planned, either thanks to the update of watches already on the market or with the release of new smartwatches.
Watches already running Wear OS 3
For now, only a few watches are already equipped with Wear OS 3. These are the latest models from Samsung:
Each of them is available in two formats (40 or 44 mm for the Galaxy Watch 4, 42 or 46 mm for the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic) and two connectivity options (Bluetooth or Bluetooth + 4G).
Watches that will be updated to Wear OS 3
Samsung's two watches aren't the only ones to benefit from Wear OS 3 in the near future, however. If the Korean firm is the only manufacturer to have launched watches already equipped with the latest Google system, other striking ones will be updated. This is the case with the latest watches from Fossil and Mobvoi:
These are connected watches that take advantage of the latest version of Qualcomm's watch chip, the Snapdragon Wear 4100 – or 4100+ in the case of the Fossil watch. It is therefore easy to imagine that watches equipped with a less efficient chip will not be able to take advantage of this new version of Wear OS.
Mobvoi's TicWatch Pro 3 will be updated to Wear OS 3 // Source: Frandroid
As usual, Fossil also offers multiple versions of its Gen. 6 for the different brands with which the manufacturer works. We should therefore be entitled to Wear OS 3 on Michael Kors, Puma, Skagen, Emporio Armani or Diesel watches.
Future watches expected under Wear OS 3
In addition to Fossil, Ticwatch and Samsung, other manufacturers should launch watches under Wear OS 3 in the near future. connected watch, the Oppo Watch, was based on Wear OS 2 – while its Watch 2 has RTOS in China – but also Fitbit. The American manufacturer, acquired in 2021 by Google, has already confirmed, during the presentation of the Fitbit Charge 5, that it was working on a Wear OS 3 watch instead of its own system, Fitbit OS.
3D rendering of the Google Pixel Watch // Source: John Prosser and Rendersbyian
Finally, there are insistent rumors of a "Pixel Watch" watch that is currently being studied by Google. It should indeed be a device designed directly by Google teams.
The new features of Wear OS 3
Google has not been talkative about the new features planned for Wear OS 3. During the Google I/O conference, the firm unveiled some essentially iterative new features such as better autonomy management or better performance. However, we had to wait for the release of the first models to really discover what Wear OS 3 was capable of.
The new features presented in this file are therefore essentially those related to the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic and Galaxy Watch 4, but it is possible that they will be interpreted differently by the various manufacturers in the future, as in the case of gestures or the software interface.
Better performance and longer battery life
At the Google I/O conference on May 18, 2021, Google presented its partnership with Samsung as aiming to offer " a unified platform focused on performance faster, longer battery life and a thriving developer community."
Google says Wear OS 3 launches apps 30% faster // Source: Google
In concrete terms, the new version of Wear OS makes it possible to launch applications 30% faster, with the same processor, than Wear OS 2. Animations are also more fluid to switch from one screen to another. On the battery side, while CPU power, screen size, and battery capacity obviously play a role, Wear OS 3 can now use the CPU's low-power cores for certain metrics like pace. heart rate or number of steps. Therefore, these tasks are no longer as energy-intensive as on previous versions of the system.
Third-party application tiles
With Wear OS – which then succeeded Android Wear – Google added a new function that has since been taken over by most watches on the market: tiles. These are screens that can be found by sliding left or right from the main dial to find certain information from different applications.
However, these tiles were still particularly limited in their use. Indeed, if we could find the weather data, those of Google Fit or the widgets of the applications preinstalled by the manufacturer, it is impossible for the user to add tiles from third-party applications. This is now possible with Wear OS 3.
The application tiles on the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic // Source: Frandroid
The new version of the OS for smartwatches indeed allows third-party developers to design their own tiles thanks to the opening of the Tiles API. Users can therefore install an app from the Google Play Store directly on their watch, then display the corresponding app tile on the right of the home screen if they wish.
Better management of shortcuts
Always during the presentation of the new version of Wear OS at Google I/O, the firm quickly mentioned a new management of shortcuts. In concrete terms, users will be able to use the various physical buttons on their watch to launch their favorite application. In the example shown by Google, a double press on one of the two keys on the watch will return to the previously opened application, as is already the case with the double press on the multitasking button on smartphones.
On the Galaxy Watch 4, Samsung has also enabled user customization of the two buttons. You can thus choose to launch a particular application with a double press on the top button. This function should be offered on all watches under Wear OS 3 on the market.
Customizable interface by manufacturers
While Android smartphone users are used to having different software interface proposals depending on the brand of their phone, this was not yet the case until now on Wear OS.
This seems to be one of the main new features brought by Wear OS 3, at least on the Samsung side. On its Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic, the Korean firm has offered a personalized interface, quite distinct from that present on previous Wear OS watches, and which is very clearly inspired by what is found on its own smartphones. Logically called One UI Watch, the interface uses the same menus as on Galaxy smartphones.
The One UI Watch interface on the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic // Source: Frandroid
For the time being, it is not known whether this possibility for manufacturers to offer their own software interface will be exclusive to Samsung – as a privileged partner of Google – or if other manufacturers will be entitled to it. We imagine in any case that some brands, which do not particularly have a manufacturer interface to highlight like Fossil or TicWatch, will adopt the basic interface of the system, while others - like Samsung or Oppo - could customize the software experience.
A new basic interface
If Samsung is currently the only manufacturer to have launched watches under Wear OS 3, it is therefore difficult to know what the interface of the next watches will look like connected or existing models when they are updated. Nevertheless, the update of the Wear OS emulator in December 2021 made it possible to discover more about the interface of Wear OS 3.
This emulator update – which allows developers to test their applications – notably allows you to discover the interface that should be used on the Google Pixel Watch and potentially on all connected watches that do not offer an interface customized by the manufacturer.
Source: u/amoledwatchfaces Source: u/amoledwatchfacesSource: u/amoledwatchfacesSource: u/amoledwatchfaces Source: u/amoledwatchfaces Source: u/amoledwatchfacesSource: u/amoledwatchfaces Source: u/amoledwatchfaces value in the menus, whether with different boxes with round edges or with gradients when elements are activated. The interface is also intended to be a little more colorful, seeming to take up the colors of the dial, like what Google already offers on Android 12.No need for the Wear OS app anymore
Similarly, it no longer seems that the Wear OS app on a smartphone is essential for connecting your watch to your phone.
In the case of the new Galaxy Watch 4, the Wear OS app from Google — which until now has been used to set up and configure the watch from your smartphone — is not necessary at any time. The manufacturer indeed asks users to install its own application, Galaxy Wearables.
In fact, even if Google has not yet confirmed this data, it seems that manufacturers can use their own pairing application, without having to go through Google's. Again, we still do not know how the different manufacturers will position themselves. If Ticwatch and Fossil already benefited from their own applications, manufacturers could now choose to go through them only, without users needing to install Wear OS on their phones.
Gestures customized by manufacturers
The release of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 revealed a small novelty in terms of the various gestures on Wear OS 3, at least at Samsung. While Google's system has until now required the press of a button to open the app list while a swipe of the dial from bottom to top opens notifications, Samsung has taken a different route.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 allows you to open the list of applications by swiping up // Source: Frandroid
On the Galaxy Watch 4, the list of installed applications is accessible by sliding your finger from bottom to top, like finding the application launcher on Android. The buttons are only used to return to the home dial or to return to the previous application.
For the moment, it is still unknown if this particular navigation will be exclusive to Samsung or if the different manufacturers will adopt different gestures from each other. Still, it looks like in addition to a custom design for the software interface, Wear OS 3 also allows for more gesture customization options for builders.
Wear OS 3 release date
As we have seen, Wear OS 3 will arrive not only with the next watches on the market, but also through updates on a handful of watches already marketed.
For now, only the Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic already benefit from this new version of Wear OS. Nevertheless, Mobvoi plans to update its TicWatch Pro 3 and Ticwatch E3 in the second half of 2022. On the Fossil side, the update of the Fossil Gen. 6 to Wear OS 3 is scheduled for next year, without further details.
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