- Google has made big Wear OS announcements as part of its Android Show event this week
- Wear OS 6 will offer a visual refresh, but will also bring Gemini AI to devices from other manufacturers
- Gemini on the latest Samsung Galaxy Watches has already been confirmed
Google held its livestreamed Android Show – a prelude of sorts to next week’s big I/O in-person – on May 13 this week. As part of the early information revealed at the event, the tech giant made big promises about its wearable platform, Wear OS 6, and something we’ve all been waiting for – Gemini support.
On the one hand, Wear OS 6 will get a series of UI tweaks, dubbed ‘Material 3 Expressive’ which ties into Android 16, and should make better use of the round face of Wear OS 6 devices.
The big reveal, however (or as big as it can be before we get a proper look at I/O next week), was that Wear OS 6 will see the addition of Gemini features, even to wearables outside of Google’s own offerings like the best Samsung watches.
Wear OS 6 to put Gemini on Samsung watches
Gemini on Wear OS will likely get more of a focus at the upcoming event, but for now, Google says you’ll be able to do things like ask it to remember a locker number, build a playlist for your run, or lean into personal context.
For example, Google says you can “ask about the restaurant your friend emailed you about, and get the answer right on your wrist — without needing to pause the workout and pull out your phone.”
The presentation showed the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 and Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra, and Samsung has since confirmed that thse Gemini features will indeed come to its devices.
Wondering how it’ll affect your device’s battery life? Despite even the best Wear OS smartwatches being known to have short battery durations, there’s good news on that front.
Google says it’s “continuing to improve performance and optimize power”, saying “this update delivers up to 10% more battery life”.
How to get Wear OS 6 on your non-Google wearable
You likely won’t need to splash out on a fresh device to take this Gemini update for a spin.
According to Google, Wear OS devices that currently support Google Assistant will be eligible for the update when Wear OS 6 arrives later this year
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