Google has recently announced that Android Wear will be called as Wear OS by Google from now on. Google’s Android Wear was a dying platform and the change in branding would not be enough to save it. As Apple provides yearly upgrades to hardware, software, and SoC for its Apple Watch, which Google lacks and thus Apple has become the top player of smartwatches.
Though Google has said that the new branding will show up on some of the watches and the mobile app over the coming weeks, yet the new branding and logo has shown up a bit early in notifications that some Android users recently received as reported by Android Police. And the first developer preview of Android P also refers to the wearables platform as “Wear OS.”
The major reason for this rebranding is to clarify the confusion most users may face. Google has added iPhone compatibility, which made the name “Android Wear” seem a bit misleading. Whereas, “Wear OS” sounds like a more neutral name, with Google calling it “a wearables operating system for everyone” in its blog post. As Google states,
“As our technology and partnerships have evolved, so have our users. In 2017, one out of three new Android Wear watch owners also used an iPhone. So as the watch industry gears up for another Baselworld next week, we’re announcing a new name that better reflects our technology, vision, and most important of all—the people who wear our watches. We’re now Wear OS by Google, a wearables operating system for everyone.”
It must be noted that Wear OS by Google devices comes with high pricing as compared to Apple Watch which is regularly updated to the most recent operating system. In addition, these Google-powered devices have large and bulky models with poor battery life. And last but not least, they lack updates and Application support for older models.
Some suggest that it is even better to buy a cheaper fitness tracker rather than spending your cash on less popular Wear OS device. On the contrary, Apple Watch Series 3 which has built-in LTE connectivity offers life-saving features.
