With its annual Google I/O developers conference just weeks away, the company has begun dropping exciting hints about major updates coming to two of its major operating systems: Wear OS and Android TV.
In revealing a large portion of its I/O 2024 conference schedule this week, Google included sessions that appear to confirm… Imminent launch of Wear OS 5 for smartwatches and a new update for the Android TV platform.
The session titled “The Future of Wear OS” includes a description that leaves little doubt that Wear OS 5 will be announced and detailed at I/O. ” In this overview, we'll walk you through what's new in Wear OS 5. This includes advances in watch face format, and how to design and build for a growing range of device sizes ” says the session overview.
Wear OS 5 could be coming to the Pixel Watch 3
We already knew that Wear OS 5 was in the works based on Android 14, but this is the first direct confirmation from Google that the next generation of its wearable platform is ready. Improving watch face functionality and supporting different device sizes can be of particular interestas Google is rumored to be working on a larger 45mm version of the Pixel Watch 3.
Meanwhile, another session suggests that a major platform update will also be available soon for Google's TV operating system. ” Learn about new improvements to the Google TV user experience and the latest additions to the upcoming Android TV OS update », we can read in his description.
The last major Android TV release was Android 12 in 2021, with Android TV 13 never appearing after Google opted to jump straight to Android 14 for that platform last year. It therefore seems likely that this mysterious Next update for Android TV OS » Indicates a new version based on Android 14.
Google has yet to provide specific details about what Wear OS 5 or the new version of Android TV will include in terms of new features, but the company is expected to reveal more as early as May 14, at Google I/O.
