Google's Wear OS platform is still kicking, but the search giant has a new partner: Samsung.
At its I/O developer conference today, Google announced that it’s merging its Wear OS platform with Samsung’s Tizen, and will be known simply as Wear.
“By working together we have been able to take strengths of each and combine them into an experience that has faster performance, longer battery life and more of the apps you love available for the watch,” Bjorn Kilburn, Director of Product Management for Wear, writes in a blog post.
With Samsung’s help, the updated Wear OS opens apps “up to 30% faster on the latest chipsets with smooth user interface animations and motion.” He also promised better battery life, even with a continuously running heart rate sensor and overnight sleep tracking.
“This isn’t just for Google and Samsung,” he says. “All device makers will be able to add a customized user experience on top of the platform, and developers will be able to use the Android tools they already know and love to build for one platform and ecosystem.”
Google has struggled to compete against Apple and watchOS. In Q4 2020, Apple was the number one global smartwatch maker, increasing its market share by 6% year over year to 40%, according to Counterpoint Research, thanks to a lineup that added the lower-cost Apple Watch SE alongside the more premium Series 6. Huawei and Samsung rounded out the top three, with about 10% and 8% of the market, respectively.
Samsung’s Tizen-based smartwatches have earned high marks from PCMag. The Galaxy Watch3 got 4 out of 5 stars last fall thanks to its ECG app and trip detection, making it “one of the best alternatives to the Apple Watch,” we said.
Whether the power of Tizen can give Wear OS the boost it needs remains to be seen. Among the updates on tap for the OS are home-screen shortcuts and customizable Tiles; redesigned Google Maps, Google Assistant, and Google Pay; and access to YouTube Music later this year.
Wear OS will also incorporate features from Fitbit, which Google acquired last year for $2.1 billion,”including features like tracking your health progress throughout your day and on-wrist goal celebrations,” Kilburn says.
Google also promises revamped apps from companies like Strava and adidas Running, as well as a new Tiles API and watch face design editor built by Samsung to encourage more developers to create apps for Wear OS.