It is fair to say that Wear OS has been stagnating lately. Google announced a few updates to its smartwatch operating system last week, but they are more than small improvements than the big update that many feel the platform needs. Fossil and its subsidiaries make many Wear OS watches, and now the company is taking matters into its own hands with an exclusive update that adds new capabilities for tracking health, a phone app tile and more.
The update starts rolling out today for Fossil Gen 5 smartwatches and includes an optimized activity tracker, V02 max estimates, sleep tracking, and cardio fitness tracking. The new Wellness app moves heart rate and step tracking from the Snapdragon 3100’s central processor to its coprocessor, reducing the battery power required during workouts.
Battery modes have also been revamped with a new look and new features such as personalized profiles that allow users to quickly switch between balancing performance and longevity. Achieving two days of battery life was already possible on Gen 5 watches, so this should help make it even better.
Fossil also adds a phone tile for quick access to specific contacts right from the watch. Apple users can also take advantage of the tile, as the company last year added the ability for iPhone users to answer calls from Gen 5 watches.
Google may have paid $ 40 million to get Fossil tech, but it seems that Fossil is the one investing in the future of Wear OS at the moment. These new enhancements sound like the Fossil Gen 5 products will make some of the best Wear OS watches you can get right now – at least until the company uses Qualcomm’s latest smartwatch chip in an upcoming watch.
