Google I/O 2022: Wear OS Gets Emergency SOS, Wallet Support; Watches From Samsung, Fossil In The Works

From support for Google Wallet to more Wear OS 3 watches being in the works, here’s everything Google announced on Wear OS at I/O 2022.

New Delhi: Google I/O 2022 saw several major announcements from the tech and search giant on Wednesday. These include the Pixel 6a smartphone, Pixel Buds Pro TWS earbuds, Pixel Watch, and more. While Google notably ignore the Wear OS for years, this year’s keynote event announced several new developments on its wearable operating system. From support for Google Wallet to more Wear OS 3 watches being in the works, here’s everything Google announced on Wear OS at I/O 2022.

Wear OS at Google I/O 2022: Google Wallet support

The Google Wallet was relaunched at I/O 2022. The new version will launch on Wear OS later this year and will be able to support payment cards for now. You will eventually be able to save electronic event tickets, transit cards, and boarding passes. Google Wallet will also help you store digital car keys, diver’s licence, vaccination cards, student IDs, and other official documents as well.

Wear OS at Google I/O 2022: Emergency SOS

Wear OS’ Emergency SOS feature will function similar to the emergency SOS feature on your phone. However, with Wear OS support, you won’t need your phone around to alert emergency services. All you need to do is push a button on your smartwatch and you will be able to directly contact emergency services or someone from your personal contacts. This service will be rolled out to limited regions later this year.

Wear OS at Google I/O 2022: Google Assistant

None of the Wear OS 3 devices currently support Google Assistant. However, Google has promised that Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 wearables will support Google Assistant soon, without announcing a rollout date. Google says its Assistant will deliver faster, more natural interactions on wearables.

Wear OS at Google I/O 2022: More watches coming from leading brands

Google said that in 2022, more wearables from popular brands will feature Wear OS. Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Watch 5, along with upcoming wearables from notable names such as Fossil, Montblanc, and Mobvoi are set to come with Wear OS support later this year.

Wear OS at Google I/O 2022: Support for more apps

Popular apps such as SoundCloud and Deezer will soon get a Wear OS version, as per Google. The Mountain View company confirmed that “many more apps” will support Wear OS soon.