Google’s launch of Wear OS 3 was, at first, limited to just a couple of devices. That’s since changed as the update has become much more widely available, except on smartwatches from Mobvoi. But, finally, Wear OS 3 is coming to the TicWatch Pro 3 and TicWatch E3.
Rolling out starting this month, Mobvoi is making Wear OS 3 available to TicWatch E3 and the many variants of the TicWatch Pro 3. The update arrives just shy of 1,000 days after Google first announced Wear OS 3 at Google I/O 2021, and 14 months after Fossil launched Wear OS 3 for its smartwatches.
The update, which Mobvoi has been testing behind the scenes for months now, brings a new Android 11 base to Wear OS as well as many improvements to the platform. Wear OS 3 supports new, more advanced apps, has many under-the-hood changes that improve the experience, and also offers a simplified app setup for anyone using Mobvoi’s health tracking. Mobvoi has already released Wear OS 3 on the TicWatch Pro 5, which launched earlier this year.
In a press release, Mobvoi reiterated that the very late timing of the update’s release is due to the coprocessor that Mobvoi’s smartwatches used alongside the Snapdragon 4100 chipset.
The devices slated for this update are powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 4100 Platform and Mobvoi’s coprocessor. The intricate nature of this update necessitated the engineering team to construct an entirely new architecture, which is comparable to developing a novel software structure for the Wear OS 3 system.
The company first mentioned this earlier this year.
Mobvoi’s Wear OS 3 upgrade is available to the following TicWatch models. The rollout begins “prior to December 25” and will be made available to all users over the next 1-2 months, a spokesperson confirmed to 9to5Google.
- TicWatch Pro 3 GPS
- TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra
- TicWatch Pro 3 UItra GPS
- TicWatch Pro 3 LTE
- TicWatch E3
It is great to see Mobvoi finally delivering this update, as it means there’s now a Wear OS 3-powered smartwatch on the market for a mere $130 in the TicWatch E3.
However, it may be too little, too late.
The extended delay has left many Mobvoi customers without trust in the brand, as is clearly evident through social media. In a Facebook group Mobvoi operates, 9to5Google has observed posts just this week where users say they’ve been “scammed” due to the long delay.
Making matters a little worse, Wear OS 4 has already made its way to all of Samsung and Google’s Wear OS watches. We’ve asked Mobvoi if a Wear OS 4 update is planned, but the company had “no news to share” at this time.
More on Wear OS:
- Fossil’s Wear OS 3.5 update is rolling out, but with some issues
- What Google apps are missing from Wear OS?
- Google Assistant’s Wear OS tile is now available with customizable shortcuts [Gallery]
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