Google announces Wear OS 6 with Gemini AI, new design
What's the story
Google has unveiled its latest smartwatch operating system, Wear OS 6.
The new platform brings a major change—it introduces Gemini, Google's generative AI chatbot, as a replacement for Google Assistant on the wrist.
Jaime Williams, Product Manager for Wear OS, said the addition of Gemini goes beyond just replacing Assistant.
It is aimed at making natural language interactions better and improving app integration on smartwatches.
AI integration
Gemini AI will be able to interact with other apps
Gemini will allow users to interact with their smartwatches more naturally, without having to phrase things specifically.
The AI will also be capable of interacting with other apps on the device. For example, if you ask about restaurant reservations, Gemini can pull the information from your Gmail account.
Williams further said Gemini could handle complex queries like summarizing information, improving the overall experience on Wear OS 6 devices.
Design overhaul
Wear OS 6: Aesthetic and functional upgrades
Wear OS 6 will also sport Google's new Material 3 Expressive design language.
Lily Darling, Visual and Motion Lead for Wear OS, said the design team wanted to create a deeper connection with users by embracing the circular form of smartwatches.
The redesign includes updated layouts, font choices, scrolling animations, transitions between screens, and on-screen buttons that are easier to tap.
User interface
Enhanced user experience with Wear OS 6
Wear OS 6 also brings improved icons and notifications, making them more glanceable.
The notifications now show avatars and embedded thumbnail images for quick identification of the sender.
Plus, color theming from Android has been introduced to Wear OS, letting you customize your watch faces according to your phones or outfits.
These changes will further enhance the overall experience on Wear OS 6 devices.
Performance
Wear OS 6: Battery life and future updates
Google has promised a modest increase in battery life with Wear OS 6, up to 10% more battery.
Bjorn Kilburn, VP and GM of Wear OS, acknowledged this is a challenging issue but emphasized the team has improved power efficiency when using the watch for media control or playback.
Additionally, there are mentions of potential future updates for Gemini on other devices running Assistant today.