Google expects certain smartwatches to receive Wear OS 3 upgrade in mid-2022

Google thinks partner companies will be able to make a Wear OS 3 upgrade available from the middle of next year. Some smartwatches from Mobvoi and Fossil will be able to install the upgrade anyway. Google makes Wear OS 3 in collaboration with Samsung.

The upgrade to Wear OS 3 will be opt-in according to Google. Existing smartwatches will not only receive the improvements of Wear OS 3 with this upgrade, but the upgrade will also affect the user experience in ‘limited cases’. For example, users are required to reset their device to factory settings “due to the magnitude of the customizations.”

Google promises to provide more information about this upgrade in the near future. Existing smartwatches are expected to get that upgrade from the middle of next year. Mobvoi’s TicWatch Pro 3 GPS, Pro 3 Cellular/LTE and E3 smartwatches are getting the upgrade anyway. New smartwatches that Fossil Group will unveil this year will also receive the upgrade. No further devices will be announced at this time.

Smartwatches that don’t transition to Wear OS 3 will still get new ‘app experiences’ and security updates for up to two years, according to Google. Wear OS 3 will be the merged operating system of Tizen and Wear OS that was unveiled in May. This operating system should be released this fall. For example, the new interface makes it possible to switch apps with a double press of a button. In addition to the companies mentioned, Fitbit Wear will also use OS 3.