Google’s I/O developer conference returned to a (greatly reduced and socially distanced) in-person format this year with lots of big news for the An

Google’s big plan to beat the Apple Watch: Team up with Samsung

submited by

Style Pass

2021-05-21 12:00:05

Google’s I/O developer conference returned to a (greatly reduced and socially distanced) in-person format this year with lots of big news for the Android ecosystem, including the long-awaited revitalization of the company’s smartwatch system. The tech giant laid out its plans for Wear — previously known as “Wear OS” and, before that, “Android Wear” — which includes some help from another big tech company: Samsung.

The new Wear will be something of a Frankenstein’s monster, combining elements from Samsung’s Tizen operating system (used for Galaxy smartwatches) with features we’ve come to expect from Wear OS. Google also plans to overhaul its Wear app suite for the conglomerated operating system, with big updates to existing apps and plenty of new ones. And, because Google’s acquisition of Fitbit is now complete, the Fitbit crew is working on the Wear experience, too.

Wear OS has, for the most part, been left out for the vultures for years now. Google seems to have suddenly woken from a deep sleep and noticed that everyone’s wearing Apple Watches. It’s time to catch up.