Wear OS

1,454 'Wear OS' stories March 2014 - April 2015

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Wear OS is Google's wearable platform which is designed to run on watches. It's based on a modified version of Android, designed by Google, and used on many third-party smartwatches.

Wear OS is Google’s wearable platform which is designed to run on watches. It’s based on a modified version of Android, designed by Google, and used on smartwatches such as Pixel Watch, Galaxy Watch, and more.

The platform was first introduced in 2014 as “Android Wear,” before being modified until it became “Wear OS” in 2018.

As you’d expect, Wear OS is designed to be an extension of your smartphone. Notifications are mirrored to your wrist while condensed apps can be installed, both with their own independent functionality or as an extension of the smartphone app.

Where Wear OS was once found across a variety of smartwatch brands, the market has condensed in recent years. Names such as Fossil, Mobvoi, and others faded away in favor of first-party smartwatches from Google and Samsung, as other names in Android such as OnePlus, Oppo, Xiaomi, and more.

A few key Wear OS smartwatches include:

Google’s Pixel Watch is the poster child of Wear OS, with a heavy focus on Fitbit features and Gemini integration.

Pixel Watch 4

Pixel Watch 4

You can read the latest news about the platform and its apps below.

Report: Samsung’s round smartwatch to be called Gear A, include 3G & calling support

Chance Miller Apr 7 2015 - 2:41 pm PT

Earlier this year, it was reported that Samsung was working on a fully rounded smartwatch for launch sometime in 2015. At the time, details were sparse, but now SamMobile has shared another report with more details of the company’s device. According to SamMobile, Samsung’s rounded smartwatch will be called the Gear A and feature support for 3G data and calling.

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Motorola testing possible Moto 360 successor codenamed “Smelt”

Chance Miller Apr 2 2015 - 8:48 pm PT

Arguably the best smartwatch to come out of 2014 was the Moto 360. The rounded smartwatch received solid reviews and was relatively popular. Since the device’s launch, however, rumors of a successor to the Moto 360 have been few and far between. Phandroid today reports, however, that Motorola appears to be testing a second-gen Moto 360 near its Chicago-based headquarters.

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Android 5.1.1 existence likely confirmed thanks to Android SDK Manager

Stephen Hall Apr 2 2015 - 1:34 pm PT

Android 5.1 has only recently started hitting Nexus devices, and the general populace of Android device owners have still yet to see 5.0. But Google is already moving on past the latest 5.1 release, as evidenced by the appearance of Android 5.1.1 (API 22) in the Android SDK Manager.

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Nexus Player now available in the UK, new accessories land in Google Store

Stephen Hall Mar 26 2015 - 1:52 pm PT

Amazon accidentally revealed earlier this week that this would be happening today, but we now have proof that the slip was legit: the Nexus Player has now launched on the Google Store in the UK for £79. A couple of new Android Wear accessories have also landed in the store today though, including a Sony SmartWatch 3 watch band and a standalone charger for the Asus ZenWatch.

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3 months in: LG’s G Watch R does hardware right, but Android Wear holds it back (for now)

Stephen Hall Mar 23 2015 - 10:49 am PT

We’re still in the relatively early days of Android Wear, but I think those who have tried the platform have spent enough time with it by now to know whether or not it’s essential to their lives in its current form. I hate to spoil this review in the first two lines, but I know already that, for me, Android Wear is not something I really need. Put simply, it’s just not useful enough yet. From the available Android Wear devices I’ve tried, there are a couple that I think do hardware very well — the LG G Watch R is one of them. I like it so much that I want it to be a necessary part of my day, but it just isn’t there yet… here’s why.
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Google shares extended version of ‘wear what you want’ Android Wear ad

Chance Miller Mar 19 2015 - 7:10 pm PT

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ybg5klCxQGA&

To combat the hype surrounding Apple’s “Spring Forward” event last week, Google shared a new ad focused on the variety of Android Wear devices available. The ad came in at only 18 seconds, though, and left out some variations. This evening, however, the company has uploaded an extended 1 minute version of the ad to YouTube.

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New Android Wear app allows users to control a Tesla from their wrist

Chance Miller Mar 19 2015 - 3:29 pm PT

Software engineering firm ELEKS has today revealed a new app that will allow Android Wear users to control their Tesla car straight from their wrist. The app, the idea for which was spawned after they released an app for the Apple Watch, allows users to easily see the charge status of their car. This is such an important feature, ELEKS claims, that the developers made the Android Wear watch face for the app a charging screen.

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Device Manager gets Android Wear support, now lets you find your phone from your wrist (Updated)

Stephen Hall Mar 19 2015 - 9:21 am PT

Google first introduced Android Device Manager a couple of years ago, but today the company announced that the service—made for finding your Android phone—has gotten even better. Rolling out over the “coming weeks,” those with an Android Wear device will soon be able to use quick voice command from their watch to the find their phone.

Today we’re making Android Device Manager even more useful by introducing support for Android Wear to help you find your lost device. Misplaced your Android phone? No problem! Android Wear connects your phone to your wrist, and together with Android Device Manager, you can make sure it stays that way.

To use the feature, simply say “Ok, Google. Start. Find my phone,” or, alternatively, simply scroll to the “Find my phone” option within the Android Wear menu. You’ll see a green screen telling you that your phone is ringing (assuming you’ve maintained a connection to it), and you should be moments away from being reunited.

Keep an eye out for this feature to roll out soon (and keep your eyes peeled for other Android Wear announcements, too).

Update: Brian Buquoi on Google+ says the feature has already hit his ZenWatch, and one @iLoganRussel has let us know on Twitter that it has hit his LG G Watch:

Lenovo’s CEO may have just leaked the 2nd generation Moto 360

Stephen Hall Mar 19 2015 - 8:55 am PT

An image was supposedly posted today by Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing on Chinese microblogging site Weibo (via MyDrivers), showing what looks to be an unreleased prototype of the Moto 360 smartwatch. It’s not clear whether or not this is indeed an upcoming version of the device (it’s almost surely a prototype), but it definitely looks to be a bit different than what’s currently available…
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Google moving up-market with Android Wear, announcing Tag Heuer smartwatch partnership with Intel

Ben Lovejoy Mar 19 2015 - 6:41 am PT

While Android Wear has not yet set the world alight, Google is not sitting idly by while Apple grabs all the media attention with its Apple Watch. The company has announced a deal with Tag Heuer and Intel to create a smartwatch version of one of the watchmaker’s best-selling models, the Carrera.

TAG Heuer, Google and Intel have announced a partnership to launch a Swiss smartwatch powered by Intel technology and Android Wear. The effort signifies a new era of collaboration between Swiss watchmakers and Silicon Valley, bringing together each company’s respective expertise in luxury watchmaking, software and hardware.

While the company did not go into details, Reuters reports that the watch “will be a digital replica of the original Tag Heuer black Carrera, known for its bulky, sporty allure, and will look like the original.”

Sincere or not, Tag Heuer CEO Jean-Claude Biver says that he welcomes the launch of the Apple Watch …
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New video shows Android Wear accepting incoming iPhone call, no modifications needed

Mike Beasley Mar 17 2015 - 9:01 am PT

Last month developer Mohammad Abu-Garbeyyeh managed to get an Android Wear-based smartwatch to display notifications from an iPhone, even though Google’s wearable OS doesn’t support Apple’s mobile devices (at least, not yet).

A new video posted by the software dev today shows an Android Wear watch working with the iPhone’s calling function. In the video, an incoming call on the iPhone is answered using the Android watch. Abu-Garbeyyeh says he simulated the gesture to answer to phone call on the watch in software to avoid filling the video frame with his hand, but the functionality works perfectly just as it would with an Android device.

Keep reading to watch the video…

Mickey Mouse Apple Watch face unofficially makes its way to Android Wear

Stephen Hall Mar 13 2015 - 8:03 am PT

The Apple Watch was once again shown off at Apple’s “Spring Forward” event on Monday, and it looks like the Android Wear community is already putting together some watch faces inspired by Apple’s selections. Ironically, first up is the iconic Mickey Mouse face that has been the brunt of many a joke in the Android community on Google+, and it looks like the XDA-Developers user who made it did a pretty good job of replicating the real deal…

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Dimensions compared: Apple Watch much smaller than Android Wear devices

Stephen Hall Mar 12 2015 - 10:12 am PT

The Apple Watch was once again shown off at Apple’s “Spring Forward” event on Monday, and many have been left wondering how the device compares to the Android Wear devices currently on the market. Technology has surely evolved a bit since the G Watch was announced, but how much have things changed?

There are several differences between the two platforms, but one that has now been brought to light is the device’s physical dimensions. Looking at Apple’s renders and images makes the device look big, but comparing its actual dimensions to Android Wear devices does the opposite. It’s tiny compared to most of what’s available today.

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Google releases its first Android Wear watch face: Street Art

Stephen Hall Mar 11 2015 - 1:37 pm PT

Google has today released its very first official watch face for Android Wear, and it’s called “Street Art.” The watch face features several artistic selections from the Google Art Project, and while you get a decent variety in terms of the art you might want on your wrist, the app doesn’t have many configurable options beyond that.

You can choose one of three display options: analog, digital, or minimal. Analog is a pretty standard analog set up, the digital face will put the time at the bottom of the screen, and the minimal face is actually an analog face that uses circles instead of numbers as not to distract the viewer from the artwork.

Head over to the Play Store to get the watch face for free.

Android Wear update expected to bring easier access to apps, WiFi support, more

Stephen Hall Mar 10 2015 - 7:22 am PT

Android Wear is about to receive a very notable software update, and sources who are reportedly familiar with the smartwatch operating system’s roadmap (via The Verge) say that that it’s going to include support for WiFi among several other new features.

It looks like Google might be moving Android Wear to be more app-centric…

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Opinion: One thing Android Wear desperately needs to take from Apple Watch

Stephen Hall Mar 9 2015 - 1:59 pm PT

I love my Android Wear smartwatch—it’s a great extension to the Nexus 6 I use daily. But not many people I know have an Android Wear device, even fewer have reason to use one every day, and basically no one (outside of my circle of geeky friends) really understands why they’re useful when I try to explain what they do. My LG G Watch R is seen as cool, because I can flip between a couple dozen watch faces and reply to texts with my voice, but these things don’t really make my peers feel like they’re missing out. It’s cool, but that’s about it.

The Apple Watch was shown off again today—this time in a bit more detail—and it’s clear that the device is going to be competition to the half-dozen-or-so Android Wear devices that are on the market. It’s priced a bit higher, and that’s typical when it comes to Apple products, but there are definitely things that this device offers that Google hasn’t yet introduced. The big one—in my opinion—is Digital Touch, which Apple describes as a “fun, spontaneous way to connect with other Apple Watch wearers, wrist to wrist.”

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Google shares new, watch-focused Android Wear ad ahead of Apple Watch event

Stephen Hall Mar 9 2015 - 9:33 am PT

Google has published an Android Wear commercial to its YouTube channel this morning, and it fittingly features the company’s smartwatch platform on the day Apple is scheduled to kick off their “Spring forward” event—which is widely assumed to be Apple Watch-focused.

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Sketchy renders purportedly show an upcoming Android Wear smartwatch from Oppo

Stephen Hall Mar 9 2015 - 7:06 am PT

Many Android smartphone manufacturers have already entered the Android Wear race, with the latest entry—the aptly-named Huawei Watch—coming from Chinese company Huawei at Mobile World Congress last week. Today, it looks like the first evidence of an Android Wear device coming from another Chinese OEM, Oppo, have surfaced on the web via a couple of different sketchy Chinese sources.

The above smartwatch, sporting a fairly traditional design, might just be Oppo’s upcoming entrant…
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Huawei: Rumored $1,000 cost ‘out of range’ of base model Huawei Watch price

Stephen Hall Mar 6 2015 - 8:47 am PT

A rumor began circulating the Android blogs a couple of days ago that the Huawei Watch is going to cost about a grand when it launches. Intentionally or not, the original source of this rumor didn’t exactly specify which model of the device would cost this much, saying only that the “Huawei Watch price is $1,000”.

While we still don’t know what the different variants of the device will cost—as Huawei hasn’t announced pricing for any of them yet—we now have confirmation from the Chinese company that the base model will most definitely not cost $1,000…
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LG Watch Urbane vs G Watch R vs Watch Urbane LTE – hands-on comparison (Video)

Dom Esposito Mar 5 2015 - 6:51 am PT

LG has been around the Android Wear scene since the beginning. First we saw the original G Watch, then came the G Watch R, but this year LG is raising the bar in a big way. For 2015, LG has two new offerings. One of which is a stylistic upgrade over the G Watch R and another that takes its wearable mission outside of the Android Wear space altogether. Today we’re taking a quick look at LG’s Watch Urbane and Urbane LTE. How do these watches compare to previous releases from LG? Well, let’s go ahead and find out…

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Hyundai Android Wear app to lock, unlock, and remote start w/ voice commands now available

Jordan Kahn Mar 4 2015 - 11:01 am PT

Hyundai’s previously announced Blue Link app for smartwatches arrives today to let owners of its vehicles lock, unlock, and remote start their cars. The app was previously available for smartphones, but today arrives for Android Wear devices via a new Blue Link companion app on Google Play.
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Hands-on with the beautiful Android Wear powered Huawei Watch (Video)

Dom Esposito Mar 4 2015 - 4:58 am PT

As many of you know already, when it comes to Android Wear smart watches, style is the defining factor. The software experience will be the same on any Android Wear smartwatch, but the mobile market is still trying to prove it can deliver on something that’s not only functional, but stylish as well. This year at MWC 2015, Huawei became a serious competitor in the smart watch space. Meet Huawei Watch. I think you’ll like it…

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Google said to be planning iOS support for Android Wear, could debut at I/O conference

Mike Beasley Mar 3 2015 - 10:22 pm PT

Last month a developer managed to hack together a solution that enabled iPhone users to see their notifications on Google’s Android-powered wearable operating system, but at the moment there is no official way to use the two competing platforms together. That could change at Google’s annual I/O conference later this year, if new rumors are to be believed.

According to French tech blog 01Net, Google is developing an update to Android Wear that would enable it work with Apple’s iOS devices…

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HTC wants to be ‘careful’ with its smartwatch, still ‘working on it’ says CEO Peter Chou

Stephen Hall Mar 3 2015 - 9:39 am PT

The HTC smartwatch—specifically one running Android Wear—has been rumored for a long time now. In fact, many were expecting the Taiwanese company to introduce it at the company’s press event a couple days ago. Obviously that didn’t happen, and the company instead told us about another wearable—its GRIP fitness tracker. Don’t be too worried, though, because HTC has told CNET that they’re still working on their smartwatch; they just want to be careful to get it right.

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