Google just remembered that its smartwatch operating system, Android Wear, exists. While we're not getting new hardware or software, the OS is being rebranded to "Wear OS by Google." There's a new name, a new logo, and a new website to promote the brand.
When Android Wear first launched, it was an Android-based smartwatch OS that only worked when paired with Android phones, so "Android Wear" made perfect sense. Google later added iPhone compatibility, which made the name "Android Wear" seem a bit misleading. It would be easy for an iPhone user to see the name and assume their non-Android phone was not compatible with it. "Wear OS" is much more neutral, with Google calling it "a wearables operating system for everyone" in its blog post. The situation is a lot like Google's other recent name change, when it switched "Android Pay" to "Google Pay." Android Pay worked on more platforms than just Android (like the Web) so it got a platform-generic name.
This rebranding is sadly the best news Android Wear has gotten in about year. Before this announcement, it would have been easy to suspect that Android Wear was dead, as it has major problems all throughout the ecosystem and hasn't seen much support from Google.
From the OS side of things, major updates don't come fast enough. Android Wear 2.0 was released about 13 months ago, and we haven't heard a peep about a new version. Before that, we went 2.5 years between version 1.0 and 2.0. While the software stagnates, the same can be said about the hardware—we haven't seen a major Wear OS hardware launch since the LG Watch Sport , which was released 13 months ago. Google isn't helping, either, as it has never produced a Google-branded smartwatch despite making phones, tablets, laptops, and set-top boxes. It's hard to blame the hardware manufacturers too much, though, since Qualcomm doesn't seem committed to producing quality smartwatch SoCs. The current Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 chip wasn't even good at launch, and Qualcomm has let it hang around on the market for two years now. No other company sells smartwatch SoCs to device makers.
Of course, with all of this stagnation, Android Wear hasn't been selling very well. Apple, which produces yearly hardware, software, and SoC upgrades for its Apple Watch, is naturally at the top of the market. Android Wear isn't even in second, though. That spot belongs to Samsung, with its Tizen-based smartwatches. Like Apple, Samsung produces its own SoCs for its smartwatches, and that gives its devices a much faster, more modern foundation than the low-effort SoC work done by Qualcomm. Android Wear—or should I say "Wear OS"—is a distant third.
The one thing Wear has going for it is Google's recruitment of fashion brands to make Android Wear watches. Consumers can pick from brands like Fossil, Guess, Gc, Hugo Boss, Michael Kors, Tommy Hilfiger, and others. While they are mostly all the same hardware underneath—with crippling SoC deficiencies, poor battery life, and stagnant software—they do at least come in a variety of styles. We'll have to see if the new name brings new productions at Google I/O 2018, which is just a few months away.
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