Amid Google I/O 2022, Samsung reveals that some of Google’s upcoming changes will make their way to its Galaxy Watch 4.
Changes include the new Google Assistant for faster and more natural interactions, new applications, Google Wallet and even an emergency contact function. Unfortunately, none of these features have a set launch date, but some are coming soon.
New features and apps for Wear OS
In the meantime, let’s take a look at what we can expect in these Wear OS updates.
The new Google Assistant will be able to better understand more natural conservations. You don’t have to be so strict with the AI anymore and start every command by first saying “Hey Google” followed by the command description.
The intelligent assistant should, with your permission, be able to understand when you talk to it directly. This Google Assistant update will arrive first on the Next Hub Max, while the Wear OS version has a release day pending.
In the same boat are all the new music, sports and communication apps coming this year. Spotify, Adidas Running, LINE, KakaoTalk messaging app, SoundCloud and Deezer are coming this year. Spotify, in particular, will have unique interactivity with Google Assistant, as you can change songs just with your voice.
Samsung also notes in a blog post outlining the updates that more Google apps and services will be optimized for the Wear OS, but doesn’t go into detail as to which ones or when.
Then there’s the revamped Google Wallet, no longer an afterthought. The new application will start by supporting payment cards. Later, Wallet will be able to save hotel keys, office badges, and even driver’s licenses to the operating system.
And finally, the Galaxy Watch 4 will have an emergency SOS that will allow you to contact a friend, your family and even the emergency services directly from your watch. Something like this already exists through Early Earthquake Warnings, which will see a global rollout, but only in places where earthquakes are more frequent.
Analysis: reviving the old
A common theme for I/O 2022 was the return of old and/or somewhat overlooked apps and platforms. We saw the return of Google Wallet and the Revitalizing Assistant. Wear OS was hardly forgotten, but often saw long stretches without a substantial update, and the ones we saw were quite small.
Samsung can not be done. In the post, he concludes by telling everyone to stay tuned for future updates. It will be fascinating to see what he and Google have in store.