Google announced Pixel Watch, the firm’s first smartwatch, a few days ago. Google didn’t say much about the watch’s software support at the time. But now, Björn Kilburn, Google’s director of product management for Wear OS, clarifies and shares more thoughts about Wear OS.
In a virtual interview for Wired, Kilburn confirmed that Pixel Watch will get three years of software updates. He also stated that a new version of Wear OS would be released each year, similar to how phone owners can expect a new version of Android each year. In addition to the major updates, quarterly updates will be released to provide “new experiences” throughout the year.
Kilburn also points out that watch manufacturers are in charge of Wear OS 3 OTA updates, unlike with Wear OS 2 smartwatches. This means that any manufacturer that wants to make a Wear OS smartwatch has to make their own Android app and manage software updates.
To remind you, Samsung at the launch confirmed that the Galaxy Watch5 series will get four years of updates, which is a year more than the Pixel Watch.
Because the Pixel Watch is not iOS-compatible like the Galaxy Watch5, there has been some speculation about the Wear OS smartwatch’s compatibility with iPhones. Kilburn confirms that the compatibility is a manufacturer decision, not a problem with the software.