Earlier this year in July, Google announced a Wear OS update with a new design for appointments, a faster Google Pay, and some bug fixes. Now Google is rolling out Wear OS version 2.1 to all compatible smartwatches. The new update comes with a long list of improvements, including a new streamlined interface that lets you into the smartwatch’s most important screens with a single swipe.
For example, swiping left from the home screen shows you Google Fit, which now sports an overhauled screen that shows ‘Move Minutes’ and ‘Heart Points’ statistics. Swiping right brings up Google Assistant, which too has been tweaked to be more “proactive”. It now provides the user with useful and timely information like traffic updates and potential flight delays.
Swiping up, on the other hand, reveals all unseen notifications. Swiping down gives the user access to useful shortcuts to features like Google Pay and ‘Find my phone’. Google Assistant also suggests the users to try out features they may not have in the past. A ‘smart suggestions’ feature also helps the user find a restaurant close to their hotel or check the weather when they reach a new destination.
These updated features are expected to boost usability in Wear OS-based smartwatches by quite a bit. Back in March, Google decided to rename Android Wear to Wear OS. Revealing a new logo for it, the company commented, “We’re just scratching the surface of what’s possible with wearables and there’s even more exciting work ahead. As our technology and partnerships have evolved, so have our users.” Since then, Google has been increasingly steadfast in pushing the new smartwatch operating system.
According to Google’s blog post on the matter, it will roll out the new update for Wear OS over the next month. The update is expected to be delivered automatically to eligible smartwatches. Though not as extensive as Apple’s approach to the smartwatch, we believe Google has injected Wear OS-running smartwatches with a new lease of life.