these 5 improvements are coming to your smartwatch

Easier to switch to a new smartwatch and expect a wider range of digital watch faces. Wear OS 4 from Google offers that and more. Read here what’s new.

Google teases Wear OS 4: this is coming

In 2021, Google released Wear OS 3 as software for the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 and 4 Classic. Now – two years later – Google teased the next Wear OS version. This will appear later in 2023. In this article we list five functions.

1. Speech to text

Google reports making improvements to the speech-to-text functions on Wear OS smartwatches. This means that the wearable converts your spoken words better into text on your wrist. This is useful for, for example, giving voice commands to the Google Assistant or responding to an app.

2. Backups and Permissions

Wear OS also comes with the ability to backup your smartwatch. For example, if you switch to a new smart watch, you can easily take all your data from the previous one with you. This makes the switch a lot easier and saves a lot of work.

The permissions you give to apps on your smartphone are also automatically transferred to your smartwatch. This happens when you set up a new watch. You can of course adjust the preferences at any time via the settings app.

3. Watch Face Format

In collaboration with Samsung, Google has developed the Watch Face Format. This is like a template where designers and developers of apps can create their own digital watch faces. They shape their watch face via the so-called Watch Face Studio, after which the program itself makes the clock work and energy efficient.

As a designer, you don’t need to know complicated code. Hopefully this will expand the range of watch faces for Wear OS smartwatches.

4. New Google apps

Google also announced three of its own apps that make improvements to Wear OS. For example, it is possible to see who is ringing the doorbell at your house via the Google Home app. Google Calendar is also coming to Wear OS. You can use it to scroll through your planning, respond to digital invitations, and check off your tasks.

Gmail will also get a Wear OS app. You can of course check your mailbox, but you can also read incoming messages, organize and categorize emails and respond quickly. This way you quickly know whether an email is worth reaching for your smartphone.

5. New third-party apps

We recently told you about the beta version of WhatsApp on Wear OS smartwatches. This allows you to receive and send voice and text messages. The official app is coming later this year, and WearOS 4’s better speech-to-text lets you skip typing on your tiny smartwatch screen.

Spotify is also introducing an innovation. The Wear OS app gets a number of new tiles. You can adjust the order of tiles to your preference. Spotify now shows new episodes of your favorite podcast and the songs you listen to often.

More about wearables on Android Planet

Which of the features are you most looking forward to? Let us know in the comments below. Curious about more information about smartwatches or other wearables? Then check out the articles below. Enjoy reading!