Reports indicate that Google is gearing up to discontinue Google Assistant support for Wear OS smartwatches operating on Wear OS 2 or earlier iterations. This cessation of assistance is scheduled to take effect starting August 31, 2023.
Initial awareness of this development emerged from observant Wear OS smartwatch users who stumbled upon the information within the latest version of the Wear OS Companion App.
The Wear OS Companion App, a bridge between smartphones and Wear OS devices, has been specifically tailored for devices functioning on Wear OS 2 or lower variants.
The message communicated through the app suggests that users consider upgrading to smartwatches that both accommodate Google Assistant and run either Wear OS 3 or more advanced versions. The crux of the matter stems from the challenge that certain users face: the inability to seamlessly update their older Wear OS smartwatch’s operating system to Wear OS 3 or subsequent editions, thus prompting the prospect of investing in new devices.
Curiously, prominent smartwatch brands such as Montblanc, Polar, Michael Kors, Louis Vuitton, and Fossil still rely on Wear OS 2. Regrettably, these brands will be deprived of their access to Google Assistant functionality.
Google’s decision finds its roots in their shift towards prioritizing newer Wear OS iterations, notably Wear OS 3, Wear OS 4, and the impending successors.
This choice ushers in a complex predicament for owners of Wear OS 2 or preceding smartwatch models, leading to introspection about their stance on this transformative adjustment.
Beyond Google’s strategic shift in withdrawing Google Assistant support for Wear OS 2 and older versions, one can ponder the magnitude of Google Assistant’s role in the smartwatch experience. For your personal usage, does it constitute a frequently employed feature?
