We’ve heard rumors about the Pixel Watch in recent months, but what made me think of all this was a recent leak from Evan Blass. Earlier today, Blass posted a screenshot on Twitter of an interactive tutorial teasing a “Pixel Rohan” running Wear OS 3.1. Blass also wrote the caption to the tweet, saying, “I’ll not be late now” – a nod to the very likely possibility that Google will tamper with Pixel Watch on Google I / O next month. Nothing about this is incredibly surprising if you pay attention. It has always been possible for the Pixel Watch to run the Wear OS, although for a while there was speculation that Google could opt for a digital-analog hybrid. However, this relatively insignificant leak confirms that 2022 will be a milestone year for Google’s mobile ambitions. In essence, this is the culmination of at least three years of Google laying the groundwork for a true competitor to the Apple Watch. In early 2019, Google spent $ 40 million to buy Fossil smartwatch technology and part of the company’s research and development team. Fossil has long been one of Google’s most important wearable partners, and at the time, Google said the move was indicative of the company ‘s commitment to wearables. Later that year, Google highlighted the renewed focus on “environmental computing” at the Made by Google event before closing in 2019, cutting $ 2.1 billion for the Fitbit. Not much happened on the front of Google’s portable devices in 2020. Fitbit continued to launch products under the Fitbit brand – even though its smartwatches got the Google Assistant. Similarly, the Wear OS continued to see gradual updates. However, Google opened the door wide open in 2021 to I / O, announcing that it is working with Samsung to create a new consolidated version of the Wear OS platform that has long been stagnant. Then the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 series made its Wear OS 3 debut in late 2021. Google lays the groundwork for an in-house smartwatch from at least 2019. Photo by Dieter Bohn / The Verge This brings us to 2022 – the first year that the new Wear OS platform will be available on more than just Samsung smartwatches. Google said last year that existing Wear OS watches from Fossil and Mobvoi will be eligible for upgrade in the second half of this year. Google has also been hinting at future Fitbit integrations for some time, and Fitbit CEO James Park has also stated several times that a Fitbit Wear OS watch is coming. (Although it’s hard to say when.) Google also recently received permission from the FDA to monitor passive atrial fibrillation on Fitbit devices. Given that Google owns Fitbit, it’s not hard to imagine that it will also benefit from Fitbit’s many years of research into advanced health technologies. Qualcomm – whose sluggish Snapdragon Wear chipsets also helped Wear OS compete with its competitors – is also expected to release a more powerful chip sometime this year. Basically, all the pieces fall into place. Of course, there are still many questions. Will the Pixel Watch focus mainly on fitness and wellness or will it also incorporate more smart features like LTE connectivity? Will it work as well as all Android phones or will it prioritize Google’s Pixel ecosystem? What about iOS? We probably will not have these answers until the second half of this year. But one thing is for sure. This is a great year for Google’s mobile platform – and covering it with a Pixel Watch would be a great way to make a statement.
