Google’s Wear OS 5 to Improve Smartwatches’ Performance
Google will be launching Wear OS 5, a fresh version of its software platform for smartwatches, later this year. The novel edition offers better device autonomy than its predecessor, as well a host of enhanced attributes.
Improved Battery Life
One of the significant improvements is an increased battery duration. Devices operating on Wear OS 5 will have their power drain during extended runs reduced by 20%. Google’s focus on extended battery life is no coincidence. Wear OS 4 had allowed Pixel Watch 2 to serve for an entire day without recharge, something its original version failed to deliver. Hence, it is predictable that further enhancements to power efficiency will elongate device’s uptime.
Increased User Base
Google reports a 40% increase in the user base of Wear OS over the last year, covering 160 countries worldwide. The true impact of the improvements made to Wear OS 5 will be evaluated later this year with the arrival of new generation smartwatches from Samsung and Pixel Watch 3. Core devices like Samsung and Google’s own watches traditionally receive new OS versions first, with third-party developers following suit later.
Enhanced Smartwatch Face and Fitness Features
Apart from extended battery life, Google alludes to upgrades in smartwatch faces. Users will gain access to new widgets for weather data viewing, goal tracking progress and the like. Google is also making efforts to simplify the task of designing interfaces for smartwatches with larger round screens. Mentioned upgrades include tools that simplify the process of testing fitness features, with some changes likely to happen in the user health monitoring functions such as the capability to view data covering the last 30 days. The range of fitness features can also expect improvements including better data collection during running exercises.
Fragmentation of Wear OS
While Google continues to devote considerable resources to platform development, it appears that fragmentation of Wear OS will persist. Wear OS 4 was released before the third edition had been made available to users of all compatible devices by third-party developers. Wear OS 5’s distribution this year appears likely to replicate the same predicament.
