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Developer | |
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Written in | C (core), C++, Java [1] |
OS family | Unix-like |
Working state | Current |
Source model | Closed-source [2] [3] |
Initial release | March 18, 2014 |
Latest release | Wear OS 5.0 (based on Android 14) / 19 July 2024 [4] |
Latest preview | Wear OS 4.0 (based on Android 13) / May 2023 |
Marketing target | Smartwatches |
Available in | 93 languages
|
Package manager | APK via Google Play |
Platforms | 32-bit ARM, MIPS, x86 |
Kernel type | Monolithic (modified Linux kernel) |
Userland | Bionic libc, [5] shell from NetBSD, [6] native core utilities with a few from NetBSD [7] |
Default user interface | Graphical (Multi-touch) |
License | Proprietary [2] |
Official website | wearos |
Wear OS (also known simply as Wear [8] and formerly Android Wear [9] ) is a version of Google's Android operating system designed for smartwatches and other wearables. [10] [11] [12] By pairing with mobile phones running Android version 6.0 "Marshmallow" or newer, or iOS version 10.0 or newer with limited support from Google's pairing application, [13] Wear OS integrates Google Assistant [14] technology and mobile notifications into a smartwatch form factor. Wear OS is closed-source, in contrast to the free and open-source Android. [2] [3]
Wear OS supports Bluetooth, NFC, Wi-Fi, [15] 3G, and LTE connectivity, as well as a range of features and applications. Watch face styles include round, square and rectangular. Hardware manufacturing partners include Asus, Broadcom, Fossil, HTC, Intel, LG, MediaTek, Imagination Technologies, Motorola, New Balance, Xiaomi, Qualcomm, Samsung, Huawei, Skagen, Polar, TAG Heuer, Suunto, and Mobvoi. [16]
Analysts estimate that over 720,000 Android Wear smartwatches were shipped in 2014, the year of its launch. [17] By mid-October 2022, the Wear OS app had more than 50 million downloads. [18] Wear OS was estimated to account for 17.3% of the smartwatch market in Q3 2021, behind Apple's 21.8%. Samsung accounts for the majority of Wear OS devices sold, [19] due to its switch back from Tizen to Wear OS in 2021. [20]
The platform was announced on March 18, 2014, along with the release of a developer preview. At the same time, companies such as Motorola, Samsung, LG, HTC and Asus were announced as partners. [21] On June 25, 2014, at Google I/O, the Samsung Gear Live and LG G Watch were launched, along with further details about Android Wear. The LG G Watch is the first Android Wear smartwatch to be released and shipped. Motorola's Moto 360 was released on September 5, 2014.
On December 10, 2014, an update started to roll out, adding new features including a watch face API and changed the software to be based on Android 5.0 "Lollipop". [22]
The LG G Watch [23] and Samsung Gear Live [24] started shipping in July 2014, while the Motorola Moto 360 [25] began shipping in September 2014. The next batch of Android Wear devices, which arrived at the end of 2014, included the Asus ZenWatch, [26] the Sony SmartWatch 3, [27] and the LG G Watch R. [28] As of March 2015 [update] , the latest Wear OS devices are the LG Watch Urbane, [29] and the Huawei Watch. [30] [ needs update ]
On August 31, 2015, Google launched a Wear OS app for iOS version 8.2 or newer, allowing limited support for receiving iOS notifications on smartwatches running Wear OS. [31] As of September 2015 [update] , only the LG Watch Urbane and Huawei Watch are supported, but Google announced support for more smartwatch models. [13] [32]
In March 2018, Android Wear was rebranded as Wear OS. It was stated that the renaming "better reflects our technology, vision, and most important of all — the people who wear our watches." [33] In September 2018, Google announced Wear OS 2.0, which made the personalized Google feed (replacing Google Now) and new fitness tracking platform Google Fit accessible from the watch face, and redesigned the notification area to use a scrolling pane rather than pages, and support automatically generated smart replies (as on Android Pie). [34] [35] In November 2018, the underlying platform of Wear OS was upgraded to a version of Android Pie. [36]
In January 2021, Google completed its acquisition of wearables manufacturer Fitbit; upon its announcement of the purchase in November 2019, Google's head of hardware Rick Osterloh stated that it would be "an opportunity to invest even more in Wear OS as well as introduce Made by Google wearable devices into the market." [37] [38]
In May 2021 at Google I/O, Google announced a major update to the platform, internally known as Wear OS 3.0. It incorporates a new visual design inspired by Android 12, and Fitbit exercise tracking features. Google also announced a partnership with Samsung Electronics, who is collaborating with Google to unify its Tizen-based smartwatch platform with Wear OS, and has committed to using Wear OS on its future smartwatch products. The underlying codebase was also upgraded to Android 11. [39] [40] Wear OS 3.0 will be available to Wear OS devices running Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 4100 system on chip, and will be an opt-in upgrade requiring a factory reset to install. [41]
Wear OS can synchronize notifications from a paired device, and supports voice control with the "OK Google" hotword along with gesture-based input. [42] Wear OS integrates with Google services such as the Google Assistant and Google Mobile Services (including Gmail, Google Maps, and Google Wallet), as well as third-party watch apps from Play Store. [43] [44] From the watch face, the user can swipe up to access their notifications, down to access a quick settings panel, from the left to view their personalized Google feed, and the right to view Google Fit. [42] Via Google Fit and similar applications, Wear OS supports ride and run tracking, and devices containing heart rate sensors can perform a reading on-demand, or at intervals throughout the day. [45] The watch can control media being played on streamed on paired devices. [44] [43]
Android Wear version | Android OS version | Release date | New features | Notes |
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4.4W1 | 4.4 KitKat | June 2014 |
| Announced at Google I/O 2014 |
4.4W2 | October 2014 | |||
1.0 (5.0.1W) [49] | 5.0.1 Lollipop | December 2014 |
| This version changed the numbering scheme to be independent from the underlying Android OS version. |
1.1 (5.1.1W1) [50] | 5.1.1 Lollipop | May 2015 |
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1.3 (5.1.1W2) [51] | August 2015 |
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1.4 (6.0.1W1) [52] | 6.0.1 Marshmallow | February 2016 |
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1.5 (6.0.1W2) [53] | June 2016 |
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2.0 (7.1.1W1) [54] | 7.1.1 Nougat | Feb 2017 [55] |
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2.6 (7.1.1W2) [57] | Nov 2017 |
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2.6 (7.1.1W3, 8.0.0 W1) [58] | 8.0 Oreo | Dec 2017 | Brings Android 8.0 Oreo features to smartwatches
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2.7 (7.1.1W4, 8.0.0 W2) [59] | Dec 2017 |
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2.8 (7.1.1W5, 8.0.0W3) [60] | Jan 2018 |
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2.9 (7.1.1W6, 8.0.0W4) [61] | Feb 2018 |
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Wear OS version | Android OS versions | Release date | New features | Notes |
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1.0 [62] | Android 8 Oreo | March 2018 |
| Version number reset to "1.0". Wear OS App version: 2.10 [64] |
1.4 | July 2018 |
| Wear OS App version: 2.14 [66] | |
2.0 | September 2018 |
| Wear OS App version: 2.18 | |
2.2 | Android 9 Pie H MR1 | November 2018 | New features for System version H MR1:
| Wear OS App version: 2.20 |
2.6 | May 2019 |
| Wear OS App version: 2.24 | |
2.7 | June 2019 |
| Wear OS App version: 2.25 | |
2.9 | July 2019 |
| Wear OS App version: 2.26 | |
2.17 | April 2020 |
| Wear OS App Version: 2.35 | |
2.23 | Android 9 Pie H MR2 | December 2020 | Changes in System H MR2: [68] [69]
| Wear OS App version: 2.41 |
3.0 | Android 11 | August 2021 | Brings Android 11 features to smartwatches
Health features to Google Fit:
Hardware improvements:
Social integration:
| Incompatible with Wear OS App. OEM companion app required [70] |
3.2 | February 2022 |
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3.5 | October 2022 |
Removed:
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4.0 | Android 13 [72] | July 2023 |
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5.0 | Android 14 | 19 July 2024 |
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5.1 | Android 14 | 2025 |
Android is a mobile operating system based on a modified version of the Linux kernel and other open-source software, designed primarily for touchscreen-based mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. It is the world's most widely used operating system due to it being used on most smartphones and tablets outside of iPhones and iPads, which use Apple's iOS and iPadOS, respectively. As of October 2024, Android accounts for 45% of the global operating system market, followed by Windows with 26%.
A mobile operating system is an operating system used for smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, smartglasses, or other non-laptop personal mobile computing devices. While computers such as typical/mobile laptops are "mobile", the operating systems used on them are usually not considered mobile, as they were originally designed for desktop computers that historically did not have or need specific mobile features. This "fine line" distinguishing mobile and other forms has become blurred in recent years, due to the fact that newer devices have become smaller and more mobile, unlike the hardware of the past. Key notabilities blurring this line are the introduction of tablet computers, light laptops, and the hybridization of the two in 2-in-1 PCs.
Fitbit is a line of wireless-enabled wearable technology, physical fitness monitors and activity trackers such as smartwatches, pedometers and monitors for heart rate, quality of sleep, and stairs climbed as well as related software. It operated as an American consumer electronics and fitness company from 2007 to 2021.
A smartwatch is a portable wearable computer that resembles a wristwatch. Most modern smartwatches are operated via a touchscreen, and rely on mobile apps that run on a connected device in order to provide core functions.
Tizen is a Linux-based mobile operating system backed by the Linux Foundation, developed and used primarily by Samsung Electronics.
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The LG G Watch is an Android Wear-based smartwatch announced and released by LG and Google on June 25, 2014. It was released along with the Samsung Gear Live as launch devices for Android Wear, a modified version of Android designed specifically for smartwatches and other wearables. It is compatible with all smartphones running Android 4.3 or higher that support Bluetooth LE.
The Moto 360 is an Android Wear-based smartwatch announced by Motorola Mobility in 2014. It was announced on March 18, 2014 and was released on September 5, 2014 in the US along with new models of the Moto X and the Moto G.
The Samsung Gear Live is an Android Wear-based smartwatch announced and released by Samsung and Google on June 25, 2014. It was released along with the LG G Watch as launch devices for Android Wear, a modified version of Android designed specifically for smartwatches and other wearables. Gear Live is the 5th device launched in the Samsung Gear family of wearables. It is compatible with all smartphones running Android 4.3 or higher that support Bluetooth Smart.
Google Fit is a health-tracking platform developed by Google for the Android operating system, Wear OS, and iOS. It is a single set of APIs that blends data from multiple apps and devices. Google Fit uses sensors in a user's activity tracker or mobile device to record physical fitness activities, which are measured against the user's fitness goals to provide a comprehensive view of their fitness.
Android Marshmallow is the sixth major version of the Android operating system developed by Google, being the successor to Android Lollipop. It was announced at Google I/O on May 28, 2015, and released the same day as a beta, before being officially released on September 29, 2015. It was succeeded by Android Nougat on August 22, 2016.
Android Things is a deprecated Android-based embedded operating system platform by Google, announced at Google I/O 2015, and launched in 2018. Android Things Dashboard shutdown began on January 5, 2021. After January 5, 2022, Android Things Dashboard has been shut down completely and all remaining data has been deleted.
The Huawei Watch and latest Huawei Watch 4 series are HarmonyOS-based smartwatches developed by Huawei. The Huawei Watch is the first smartwatch produced by Huawei. It was announced at the 2015 Mobile World Congress and released at IFA Berlin on September 2nd. The Huawei Watch 3 was introduced in June 2021 after the United States Department of Commerce added Huawei to its Entity List in May 2019.
The Moto 360 , also known as the Moto 360 (2015), is an Android Wear-based smartwatch. It was announced on September 14, 2015 at the IFA.
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Google Pay is a mobile payment service developed by Google to power in-app, online, and in-person contactless purchases on mobile devices, enabling users to make payments with Android phones, tablets, or watches. Users can authenticate via a PIN, passcode, or biometrics such as 3D face scanning or fingerprint recognition.
Bootloader unlocking is the process of disabling the bootloader security that makes secure boot possible. It can make advanced customizations possible, such as installing custom firmware. On smartphones, this can be a custom Android distribution or another mobile operating system. Some bootloaders are not locked at all and some are locked, but can be unlocked with a command or with assistance from the manufacturer. Some do not include an unlocking method and can only be unlocked through a software exploit.
The Pixel Watch is a Wear OS smartwatch designed, developed, and marketed by Google as part of the Google Pixel product line. First previewed in May 2022 during the Google I/O keynote, it features a round dome-shaped display as well as deep integration with Fitbit, which Google acquired in 2021. Two Pixel-branded smartwatches had been in development at Google by July 2016, but were canceled ahead of their release due to hardware chief Rick Osterloh's concerns that they did not fit well with other Pixel devices. Development on a new Pixel-branded watch began shortly after Google's acquisition of Fitbit.
The proprietary nature of Wear OS makes it even harder to gain deep visibility into the wearable networking stack. Note that unlike Android for handheld devices, Wear OS is not open-source.
Since Wear OS is closed source, we cannot modify the framework so we implement a Proof-Of-Concept (POC) solution.