Samsung today debuted new details about the smartwatch software it co-developed with Google, promising a smartwatch experience with broader, better-synced third-party apps and a more seamless connection to Android smartphones.
“A new operating system and One UI: it’s an amazing combination and it’s coming to our next Galaxy Watches,” Christina Burton, head of events at Samsung Electronics UK said at Mobile World Congress.
We know very little about the new smartwatch hardware, though, other than that Samsung confirmed it will have eSIM.
“The new Galaxy Watch will be the first-ever device to feature One UI Watch and the new, unified platform, which is scheduled to be announced at Samsung’s Unpacked event later this summer. Stay tuned for the new Galaxy Watch,” the company said in a press release.
More Android Than Ever
The new Samsung system was first announced at Google’s I/O event in May. The non-Apple smartwatch world in the US, until recently, was fragmented between Samsung’s Tizen OS, Google’s Wear OS, and Fitbit, with none of them dominating. Google’s purchase of Fitbit and new alliance with Samsung coalesces all of the anti-Apple energy into a single force for Android-compatible watches.
The new unified platform will be more battery-efficient, more responsive, and have more consistent health sensing, Samsung and Google execs said at MWC. It will also bring app developers together in one place.
“Finally, you’ll now be able to enjoy your favorite Google apps on the new Galaxy Watch. You’ll also be able to discover new and popular apps from the ecosystem of Android developers,” said Sameer Samat, VP of Product Management, Android and Wear at Google.
Several fast-moving demos flung around a bunch of app icons to signify partnerships made. In Samsung’s press release, it mentions all of Google’s apps; Adidas Running, Golfbuddy Smart Caddie, Strava, and Swim.com; Calm and Sleep Cycle; and Spotify. Rather than just throwing any application onto the watch, Samsung seems focused on health, location-based, and entertainment apps.
“When you install a watch equipped app on your phone, it’ll auto download onto the watch,” Burton said.
Other new features include call block lists synced between watch and phone; world clocks synced between watch and phone; and a settings menu that looks much more like the settings menu on a Galaxy phone.
The company also showed an easy way for Android developers to create new watch faces using a web-based interface.
This is a break in operating system for Samsung’s wearables, which have run on Samsung’s own Tizen OS for several years now. Existing Tizen OS watches will get three years of software support from the date of their original launch, Samsung said.
