Google will be making it easier to install and manage apps on the upcoming version of Wear OS. The company announced a revamped version of Wear OS in collaboration with Samsung at I/O 2021.
As a part of its renewed focus on Wear OS, Google has overhauled every part of the OS for better performance, battery life, and user experience.
Install Wear OS Apps From Your Phone
To install apps in the current version of Wear OS, you must use the Play Store app on the smartwatch itself. This offers a poor user experience and also hampers app discoverability as the information density and usability on such a small display are not that good.
Google is fixing this with the next version of Wear OS. You will be able to use the Play Store app on the smartphone that's paired with the smartwatch to install apps on it. There will also be a dedicated category for Wear OS apps to help improve discoverability.
The company hopes to make it easier for users to install apps on their Wear OS smartwatch with the next release. It also hopes that the improved app discoverability and development tools will entice developers to create better Wear OS apps.
Google also previewed the upcoming Spotify app for Wear OS that will allow one to download music directly on the watch for offline playback. The app will also let you browse through your music library and select your favorite album or playlist that you'd like to download.
Apart from Spotify, a number of other popular fitness and health apps, including Strava, Calm, MyFitnessPal, and more will also be coming to Wear OS.
Google Finally Gets Serious About Wear OS
After neglecting Wear OS for years, Google seems to have finally started taking the platform seriously. The company has not only given the OS a major revamp, but it also seems to be working with app developers to get more and better apps on the platform.
As a part of its announcement at I/O 2021, Google also confirmed that the next Galaxy Watch would run Wear OS. Fitbit, whose acquisition was completed by Google earlier this year, will also release its upcoming wearables with Wear OS instead of Fitbit OS.
The latest iteration of Wear OS will be released later this year. It is unclear if the OS update will be making its way to existing Wear OS smartwatches or not, though.