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Category: Wear OS

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Google is putting Gemini on your wrist and more screens around you

Google has just announced that the Gemini AI stack is coming to your Wear OS smartwatch, and a bunch of other screens in your life, such as your car’s infotainment dashboard and smart TV. With the move, the company is bringing down the curtain on Google Assistant across its device ecosystem.

Gemini is already a part of the core Android experience, deeply integrated across the Workspace ecosystem of apps and even third-party platforms such as WhatsApp and Spotify. With Gemini making its way to Wear OS, Android Auto, and TV, users will have a more seamless experience and a wider variety of screens to get work done.

Gemini on smartwatches

Google says Gemini on Wear OS smartwatches will essentially fill the gap for scenarios when you don’t have a phone handy. The generative AI assistant will make its way to smartwatches in the coming months, though Google hasn’t clarified the hardware or software baseline for the transition.

Google

Gemini on smartwatches will let users perform a wide range of tasks, such as setting reminders, accessing data from Google platforms such as Gmail, pulling details from Maps, and more. It will understand context and offer memory capabilities, as well, just the way it handles conversations on mobiles and desktops.

Moreover, Gemini on Wear OS will be able to extract information from different apps in a single query. The biggest benefit is the enhanced natural language understanding and conversational capabilities of Gemini, especially compared to Google Assistant.

AI on every screen in your life

In addition to smartwatches, the Gemini experience is also making its way to Android Auto and cars with Google built-in. Once again, the biggest highlights are enhanced conversational capabilities and contextual understanding offered by the next-gen AI assistant.

Google

“Instead of focusing on the perfect prompt or tapping the right button, you can stay focused on the road ahead,” says the company, adding that hands-free interactions will receive a huge boost. For example, it can help with route planning, give you a summary of daily news, summarize articles or books, and more.

The biggest upgrade will be handling communications. Gemini can connect to the messaging apps installed on your phone, allowing the AI to summarize and translate them without asking users to press or tap on an on-screen button. Gemini will also handle the response via voice dictation or generate a reply, as well.

Google

Gemini will first arrive on Android Auto in the coming weeks, followed by vehicles rocking the Cars with Google Built-in label. In the months that follow, the AI assistant will also make its way to TVs, too.

“With Gemini on Google TV, you can ask for action movies that are age-appropriate for your kids, and get the best recommendations,” says Google. On TVs, Gemini will tap more into its knowledge bank and let users ask questions not just about the entertainment content on their TV screen, but other general topics, as well.

Google

Finally, we have the budding Android XR platform, which is soon going to find a home on Samsung’s high-end headset and smart glasses later this year. On XR devices that offer an immersive spatial computing layout, Gemini will spread its response across multiple floating screens.

For example, if you ask it to plan a heritage walk, it will show relevant material on screens with a map overview, information pulled from the internet, and videos from YouTube. Gemini will also expand to wireless earbuds sold by third-party labels such as Samsung and Sony.

May 13, 2025
What we want to see from the Google Pixel Watch 4

Has there ever been such a quickly improved product as the Pixel Watch? Google’s first attempt wasn’t great, but the Pixel Watch 2 was much better, and the Google Pixel Watch 3 was, frankly, excellent. So it’s safe to say there’s a lot of expectation riding on the Pixel Watch 4. Will it be a showstopper like the Pixel Watch 3? Or will Google come full circle and release another duffer, like the first Pixel Watch.

Here’s where you’ll find all the latest leaks and rumors surrounding the Pixel Watch 4. However, since we don’t have too many of those yet, we’ve also included a list of everything we’d like to see from the newest Pixel Watch.

Google Pixel Watch 4: Release and price

We haven’t seen any leaks pertaining to either of these yet, but it’s safe to assume the Pixel Watch 4 will arrive in the fall of 2025, and while a price rise isn’t our of the question, we haven’t seen anything to indicate Google will be putting prices up.

Google Pixel Watch 4: design and charging

We don’t have a lot of leaks for the Google Pixel Watch 4 yet, but what we do have suggests that not a lot will be changing in Google-land for the fourth Pixel Watch. According to leaks from OnLeaks and 91Mobiles, the Pixel Watch 4 will sport the same iconic round look, albeit with slightly smaller bezels around the display. The Pixel Watch 3 had reduced the larger bezels we’d seen on previous models, and it’s impressive that Google is further shrinking them down.

There are bigger changes around the back, with the biggest change being what’s missing. While the four sensors are still in place on the back of the device, there are no charging pins, potentially indicating that Google will be moving to wireless charging for the Pixel Watch 4. This isn’t a seachange by any means, as we’ve seen similar charging methods on the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7, but it is a nice addition.

Google Pixel Watch 4: What we want to see

The Pixel Watch 3 was a very good smartwatch, but it wasn’t perfect by any means. Here’s a brief list of improvements we’d like to see in the Pixel Watch 4.

An even longer battery life

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The Pixel Watch 3’s battery lif was pretty good by smartwatch standards, lasting around a day-and-a-half on a single charge. But we’ve seen a lot better recently, most distinctly from the OnePlus Watch 3. OnePlus’s smartwatch was capable of lasting multiple days on one charge, above and beyond pretty much every other smartwatch around.

Could the Pixel Watch match this performance? It’s entirely possible it won’t, but it shows that smartwatches can and should do better. The Pixel Watch 3 did well in terms of battery life, but we’re hoping the Pixel Watch 4 will knock it out of the park.

Fewer features locked behind the Fitbit paywall

Joe Maring / Digital Trends

Google’s purchase of Fitbit meant that it had a ready-built fitness platform for its smartwatches, and the Pixel Watch has become the most premium way to experience Fitbit’s excellent exercise and health tracking. Only, it doesn’t feel very premium, entirely because you still have to pay a subscription for Fitbit’s best features.

The pill is sugared a bit by the six months of free access to Fitbit Premium you get for buying the watch, but when you’re paying premium smartwatch prices, to not get premium features feels like you’re being cheated just a little bit. The Pixel Watch 4 is a premium smartwatch, and it needs to drop the subscription if it wants to continue to be seen as such.

Upgrade the smallest size

The Pixel Watch 3 finally introduced a second, larger size to the roster, and it’s fantastic. Only, now the 41mm size needs looking at, because, frankly speaking, it’s just too small.

Previous Mobile Editor Joe Maring loved the Pixel Watch 3, and didn’t have many negative thoughts about the smartwatch — but he did note that, even for his small wrists, the 41mm Pixel Watch 3 felt too small. And it’s easy to say why he’d think that; the Pixel Watch’s sleek and smooth design is iconic for the Google brand, but it makes a small watch feel even smaller, and that’s a problem when you’re shipping an already small watch. Apple offers its smallest Apple Watch Series 10 in a 42mm size, and it’s time that Google did the same with the Pixel Watch 4.

Better durability or better repairability

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The Pixel Watch 3 had all the usual durabilities you’d expect for a smartwatch, including swimmable water-resistance, but it was certainly scratch-prone, especially on the rear. Plus, that model had some terrible reports where repairability was concerned, meaning you were largely unable to replace that back panel if it became unsightly with scratches.

Granted, this isn’t a huge deal, but it’s one we’d still like to see Google iron out. A slightly tougher back panel would work wonders for Google’s Pixel Watch 4, but so would a dedication to repairability.

May 3, 2025
What is RTOS and is it the answer to Google’s Wear OS problems?

Smartwatches are now over 25 years old, but just over a decade ago, Apple helped kickstart the current smartwatch industry with the launch of the original Apple Watch. From a focus on fitness to a selection of apps and whimsical watch faces, early smartwatches bore little resemblance to the current best smartwatches with which we’re now accustomed.

The only problem with the Apple Watch is that it was, and still is, exclusive to the iPhone. To answer this and capitalize on the demand for smartwatches from Android users, Google and its partners developed an Android-powered alternative. After many iterations, Wear OS was born, but it still faces several challenges many years later.

To address these needs, companies such as OnePlus have turned to RTOS (Real-Time Operating System), a specialized type of operating system that’s perfect for low-power tasks where precision is required, such as timekeeping. However, is RTOS the answer to Google’s Wear OS woes? Let’s take a look.

The key benefits of RTOS

The Moto Watch Fit runs RTOS only Nirave Gondhia / Digital Trends

RTOS has been around for a long time. Long before its applications in the smartwatch space, it has been powering a range of devices and technologies that you’ve likely benefited from. These include devices such as pacemakers for the heart, flight ticket booking platforms, and even RADAR.

Smartwatches that run RTOS are technically using a platform called FreeRTOS. It’s designed to enable the execution of a specific set of features on a single chipset with limited memory, and it doesn’t consume a significant amount of power to do so. Crucially, it offers a fast experience and allows you to utilize several advanced features, such as heart rate tracking, without requiring a large battery or a powerful chipset.

RTOS-based platforms have long been used in smart devices that don’t run Wear OS, such as smartwatches from Amazefit or Xiaomi, or some of the best fitness trackers. The precision of the OS means it’s ideal for features such as heart rate monitoring, but it comes with a key downside compared to Wear OS.

How Wear OS is better than RTOS

OnePlus Watch 3 (left) and Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

RTOS offers numerous benefits to users and watchmakers, but there is one major downside: limited app support. This means that the end-user is at the mercy of the company’s interpretation of fitness apps, features, and watch faces, and it also makes it much harder to switch platforms without losing data.

In comparison, Wear OS takes all of this away from the device maker and instead ensures continuity between different devices running the same platform. You have access to a wide range of Wear OS-compatible apps, and your data remains with you as you switch devices.

Much like your Android phone, Wear OS supports every major app and features a dedicated section within the Google Play Store. It’s designed to be a platform that powers every smart device, but given the need for a small battery in most wearable devices, it does so at the cost of power and efficiency.

The two competing implementations of RTOS

Workout options on the OnePlus Watch 3 Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Some companies are fully committed to the Wear OS platform. Samsung has long since abandoned its goals of developing its Tizen-based OS in favor of partnering with Google on Wear OS, while numerous third parties are also creating some of the best Android smartwatches.

However, companies like OnePlus and Motorola have demonstrated that RTOS can be a viable alternative for smartwatches, where battery life and efficiency are more crucial than advanced features. As a result, we have two different implementations of RTOS that both bring the same benefits.

Workout options on RTOS on the Moto Watch Fit Nirave Gondhia / Digital Trends

Motorola has just announced its new Moto Watch Fit smartwatch, which runs solely on the RTOS platform. That means the company had to develop a fitness app in-house, as well as several apps that replicate the core functionality of Wear OS. Meanwhile, OnePlus announced the OnePlus Watch 3 earlier this year, which combines RTOS and Wear OS into a single device through its innovative dual-architecture approach.

Crucially, both devices capitalize on the benefits of RTOS, but only one minimizes the potential downsides of RTOS.

Is RTOS the answer to Google’s Wear OS woes?

The OHealth companion app for the OnePlus Watch 3 Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Building a smartwatch with advanced fitness features isn’t easy. As Google continues to expand the functionality within Wear OS, it also means that modern Android smartwatches require even larger batteries. Unfortunately, this means companies must decide between large batteries, small displays, a high price, or a thick smartwatch, and a compromise in any area results in a subpar wearable experience.

It’s not surprising that companies have turned to RTOS, but could it be the answer to the key Wear OS problems? The biggest challenge is battery life, but while the Moto Watch Fit offers 16 days of battery life, it doesn’t provide the benefits of Wear OS. Instead, Google should consider OnePlus and its dual-architecture approach.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The OnePlus Watch 3 seamlessly switches between the RTOS platform for all low-power tasks and Wear OS for more advanced features. The result is the best of both worlds, and a battery that lasts up to four times as long as Google’s own Pixel Watch 3.

If Wear OS is to provide a competitive challenger to the Apple Watch, it needs to solve the key problems. The OnePlus Watch 3 demonstrates that a dual-architecture approach with RTOS could be the solution, but if not, we’ll likely see more RTOS watches and fewer Wear OS watches in the future.

April 27, 2025