Last year, Google updated Android Wear 2.0 with an AI assistant. Since then, the tech giant has introduced increasingly more features to make the smartwatch more relevant. This year, the company is set to deliver a few new features to AI Assistant for Wear OS, which is the rebranded name of Android Wear.
The new name implies that Google is finally making time for its wearable platform. When the company first released Android Wear, it only worked on Android-operated smartwatches connected to Android smartphones. But when Google eventually added iPhone compatibility, the label “Android Wear” became somewhat inaccurate. Thus the change to Wear OS, which has a more neutral tone. Now, the new updates on Wear OS will include:
- Contextually-aware chat recommendations
- Audible answers to questions
- Actions on Google for linked devices.
Over the past few days, Google has been steadily giving out information about Wear OS’s updates. It’s difficult to say just how much energy the company has put into Wear OS for their upcoming keynote conference. But for the time being, all pieces of information are focused on solid Assistant changes. The AI updates on Android smartwatches don’t come as a surprise, especially if the market notes how important Siri is for Apple Watch.
Google AI Assistant
Google’s Assistant-centric updates for Wear OS bring about cool features like smart suggestions. The Google Assistant gets wittier and smarter with this new feature. It provides follow up research based on your previous searches. For instance, when you ask about a concert scheduled on a specific weekend, the AI Assistant will provide all the necessary details you requested. In addition, you’ll receive other concert schedules happening on the same weekend or other planned events for the coming weeks.
Another amazing new addition is the ability to hear auditory answers rather than just reading them from the wearable’s small screen. This is a helpful feature, especially if you’re in a rush and can’t be bothered to get your reading glasses out to read the answer to your query.
Google is also introducing Actions on Google on their smartwatches. This means you can give commands to any of your linked smart products via the AI Assistant on your smartwatch. You can give a command for multiple tasks, too. As such, you can give commands to turn on the AC, schedule the garden sprinklers and ask about the weather simultaneously.
More Love for Wear OS
In the grand scheme of things, these updates are not earth-shattering. But they can be life-altering, especially if you’re always on the go and rely on your smartwatch to help you finish your tasks and errands. It’s also nice to see Google giving importance to Wear OS ahead of I/O. For the past conferences, Google wearables take the back seat in terms of updates and value. In fact, the tech giant has slightly dropped the ball in making much headway for their smartwatches. This is especially true if compared to what Apple has accomplished so far with their wearables. Hopefully, Google will have even more wonderful updates and key information to showcase for Wear OS soon.