It’s powerful to argue with numbers, however the Apple Watch stays the preferred smartwatch for a lot of customers on the market. Google’s revamp of Wear OS 3 has been met with combined outcomes, and Wear OS 4 solely appears to be extra of an iterative replace. And now that each Wear OS 4 and watchOS 10 have been introduced by Google and Apple, respectively, we determined to try a number of things we wish to Google “borrow” from Apple.
A one-stop-shop to your well being metrics
Google Fit. Fitbit. Which one are you supposed to make use of if you wish to test your exercise stats from your Pixel Watch? You may most likely get away with utilizing both one, however that’s not the purpose. With the Apple Watch, all it’s a must to do is go into the Health app, which can also be now coming to the iPad with iPadOS 17.
Health Connect was introduced final yr and is being baked into Android 14, aiming to offer a seamless technique to interlink any of the completely different health monitoring apps that you simply use. But even then, it may not work with sure smartwatches, such because the TicWatch Pro 5 which makes use of its personal separate app.
It’s fairly obvious that Fitbit is ultimately going to be discovered within the Google Graveyard, and the Google Fit app is fairly nice in its personal proper. So as a substitute of sitting on the fence, why not simply come out and say “Google Fit is now the single destination for health tracking on Android!”? Yes, there are third-party OEMs to fret about, however that’s what Health Connect should be for, and Google should mainly drive Wear OS watchmakers to implement the suitable APIs into wearable apps.
Uniformity throughout your complete platform
This one’s form of dishonest, however it’s one thing I might nonetheless wish to see Google “push the issue” with. If you undergo the interface on the Pixel Watch and the TicWatch Pro 5, you’re just about getting the identical expertise. Mobvoi affords completely different watch faces, and there are a number of minor tweaks right here and there, however it’s primarily the identical.
But if you happen to evaluate the Galaxy Watch 5 vs. Pixel Watch, you may not even make certain that Samsung’s not nonetheless utilizing TizenOS till you come throughout the Play Store. As somebody who prefers Google’s software program style greater than Samsung and different Android OEMs, I really feel as if the Wear OS platform would profit from a bit extra uniformity.
Perhaps as a substitute of simply giving OEMs the bottom for Wear OS and letting them run free with the interface, Google should pull again the reigns a bit. I imply, how nice wouldn’t it be to have Google’s wonderful watch faces accessible, full with the Material Design interface, accessible on the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro? Personally, I believe it might be the right match, however I’m additionally the one which was campaigning for a Google Play Edition foldable telephone till the Pixel Fold was unveiled.
Improved health options and automated exercise detection
During the WWDC 2023 Keynote, Apple spent about as a lot time on watchOS 10 because it did explaining the boring options coming to iOS 17. But this was for good cause, as there are enhancements to Cycling and Hiking exercises, together with with the ability to view topographic maps and elevations, proper from the Apple Watch.
As famous by my colleague, Michael Hicks, Samsung is predicted to supply some enhancements for the Galaxy Watch 5 (and Watch 6) by way of the One UI 5 Watch replace. However, all of these new options are going to be restricted to Samsung’s Galaxy Watch units, and we gained’t be stunned if a few of them additionally require you to make use of a Samsung telephone.
Putting it merely, Google wants to concentrate and begin providing the identical updates, on the similar time for the Wear OS platform. An ideal instance of the place the Pixel Watch falls in need of just about any of the perfect Android smartwatches is in its incapacity to routinely monitor exercises. Some updates have been launched in an effort to enhance this, however it’s actually one thing that should have been accessible on the Pixel Watch from day one.
Apple might need the lead, however it’s nonetheless watching the competitors
You is likely to be stunned to note that I didn’t level out how watchOS 10 is being improved to take higher benefit of the display screen actual property on the Apple Watch. Well, that’s as a result of Google introduced it’s doing just about the identical factor with Wear OS 4, however we’re nonetheless ready to see what that may seem like.
And regardless of the large market share that the Apple Watch holds, watchOS 10 is fairly evident that Apple isn’t simply sitting round and ready round. Smartwatch apps are abysmal, irrespective of whether or not you’re utilizing an Apple Watch or a Wear OS smartwatch. Google and its Wear OS companions have gotten round this due to the carousel of playing cards that you would be able to swipe by way of from your watch face.
With watchOS 10, Apple is copying Google’s homework, however really altering it up a bit due to the introduction of Smart Stack. These are mini-widgets that you would be able to scroll by way of “with a simple turn of the Digital Crown from any watch face.” It’s a superb technique to view knowledge and work together with completely different apps with no need to open the app each time.
This is to say, that whereas Apple might need an enormous lead, there’s nonetheless work to be executed and the Apple Watch is not any exception. I’m simply retaining my fingers crossed that the Pixel Watch 2 will at the least meet my expectations and that Google will launch a product that may make a severe dent within the wearable market.