Google and Samsung have done a lot of heavy lifting to revitalize the Wear OS scene. Wear OS 3, which debuted on the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 series, breathed new life into Google’s wearable platform with new functionality and a fresh coat of paint. With the release of theSamsung Galaxy Watch 6andWatch 6 Classic, two ofthe best Wear OS smartwatches, we now have the next iteration of Wear OS, Wear OS 4. And with it comes a number of improvements to the operating system. Here are all the updates and changes that make Wear OS 4 the best version of Wear OS yet.
What is Wear OS 4?
Wear OS 4 is the newest version of Wear OS, which is based on Android 13. It’s an upgrade from the existing Wear OS 3.5, which,for some reason, is still the operating system for theGoogle Pixel Watch. It’s also the operating system for theMobvoi TicWatch Pro 5.
The last three generations of Samsung’s Wear OS-based Galaxy Watch devices (the Galaxy Watch Series 4, 5, and 6) all have been updated to Wear OS 4, but with Samsung’s One UI skin on it. Google’s upcomingPixel Watch 2is rumored to launch with Wear OS 4, which is where we’ll first see the stock version of Wear OS 4. Many hope it means that the original Pixel Watch will also receive the update at that time.
What new features are included in Wear OS 4?
Wear OS 4 is not a radically different experience from Wear OS 3, but it introduced several improvements. During its I/O event this year,Google teased Wear OS 4 optimizationsthat bring longer battery life and new watch apps for Google Calendar and Gmail. The company also created a new backup-and-restore tool that should make switching between different Wear OS watches less of a hassle, improve text-to-speech performance, and create a new permissions system that automatically grants permissions approved on your phone to the corresponding watch version of apps. Additionally, better integration and control with Google Home is included in the update.
Google also teamed up with Samsung to bring a new watch face creation tool to Wear OS 4. The new Watch Face Format is a declarative XML format that takes some of the legwork out of making new watch faces. Watch Face Format is only supported on Wear OS 4. However, Samsung has a newWatch Face Studio toolthat lets developers craft new watch faces that use Watch Face Format on Wear OS 4 devices and that are backward-compatible with Wear OS 3 watches.
XDA Developers noticed that Android Virtual Devices running Wear OS 4 seem tosupport Material You’s adaptive colors. Google hasn’t officially announced this feature, and XDA couldn’t customize its virtual watch’s theme, but it seems that Material You theming will be present in stock Wear OS 4.
Even though it isn’t a massive visual or UI update, Wear OS 4 improves the usability of compatible smartwatches. The ability to transfer your Wear OS watch from one phone to another without performing a factory reset on the wearable has long been a pain point that is now fixed. Galaxy Watches running Wear OS 4-based One UI 5 Watch can be moved from one phone to another without a reset as long as all devices involved are signed in to the same Google account. This is an improvement for anyone who tends to bounce between phones, like our tech reviewers.
When will my watch get Wear OS 4?
Given the protracted and troubled rollout of Wear OS 3 to older Wear OS watches from the likes of Mobvoi and Fossil, it’s likely many existing watches won’t get the update anytime soon if they do at all. We’d be pleased to be proven wrong here, but history tells us not to get our hopes up.
Still, Wear OS 4 has started rolling out, and we expect to see it on more devices, like the Pixel Watches, soon. We’re watching for new developments surrounding Wear OS 4, so check back often for the latest. While you’re waiting for the update to reach your watch, we’ll help youfix the most common Wear OS smartwatch problems.
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