(Pocket-lint) - Google has elaborate 3 caller upgrades coming to Wear OS 2 smartwatches, with Google Pay, Tiles and third-party apps successful enactment for a mild refresh.
While the absorption of the smartwatch satellite has been firmly connected the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Series and Wear OS 3's authoritative arrival, Google has inactive recovered clip to supply thing for existing owners.
As outlined successful the Google Support blog, the update volition beryllium rolling retired implicit the coming weeks to smartwatches that aren't yet eligible for the upgrade, which, astatine this stage, is each but Samsung's caller devices.
Google Pay, for starters, is coming to 16 caller countries - Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Hong Kong, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, Slovakia, Sweden, Taiwan, Ukraine and the United Arab Emirates - with much to come. The app itself has besides been fixed a lick of paint, making saved cards larger and easier to swipe through.
Messages by Google is besides receiving a akin upgrade. With the caller update, users volition beryllium capable to person messages and straight reply without needing to instrumentality retired their phone, since the ticker volition sync with an Android phone.
As hinted astatine Google I/O backmost successful May, third-party apps and Tiles are besides acceptable for immoderate improvements.
Google suggests the update volition marque discovering and downloading apps easier done Google Play connected Wear OS, and a clump of caller features are besides arriving successful fashionable apps. These see upgrades to Calm, Komoot, Period Tracker, Sleep Cycle, Spotify and Strava.
This acceptable of apps volition besides spot caller third-party Tiles, which are the widgets connected Wear OS, which should assistance users person quicker and clearer accusation erstwhile they rise their wrist.
All successful all, it's an encouraging update from Google. With the database of smartwatches that tin update to Wear OS 3 besides not being precise long, this goes immoderate mode to softening that stroke for existing owners that won't beryllium capable to marque the jump.
Writing by Conor Allison. Originally published connected 12 August 2021.