Put on OS 6 wishlist: What I need to see and what we all know to date

Put on OS has come a great distance since its nice revival in 2021, now commanding a fleet of fantastic Android smartwatches. Whereas we’re at present on the fifth nominal model of the wearable OS, Put on OS 6 is seemingly just a few ticks of the clock away. As we wind as much as that eventuality, right here’s every little thing we learn about Put on OS 6 and a listing of options we hope it consists of.

Put on OS 6: Options we need to see

Google and Samsung have added loads of new options to Put on OS since they joined forces, however it may nonetheless do with a number of nips and tucks. That is my Put on OS 6 wishlist.

Put on OS has an extended historical past of replace issues, whether or not manufacturer-induced or straight stemming from Google.

House owners of the older Pixel Watch fashions updating from Put on OS 4 to Put on OS 5 skilled these points firsthand. The corporate halted the rollout for 2 months after problems with black screens emerged after customers put in the replace. Samsung can be dragging its toes pushing new updates to its Galaxy Watch gadgets.

Like smartphone customers, smartwatch house owners deserve fuss-free updates. For a tool platform that shares commonalities with Android, model rollouts and safety patches shouldn’t render gadgets paperweights. Right here’s to hoping that Put on OS 6 ushers in a predictable replace schedule for the smartwatch platform.

With Put on OS 5, Google and Samsung lastly turned their gaze towards effectivity and battery life, and it clearly reveals. We’ve observed enhancements on the Pixel Watches operating the most recent OS, as have customers throughout the web.

These enhancements are largely due to inside nips and tucks and the adoption of the Watch Face Format. In fact, which means many traditional watch faces are not accessible, however I’d fortunately commerce these for much less time tied to the wall.

With battery capacities remaining largely static on smartwatches, Put on OS should proceed to chisel out effectivity positive aspects.

Certainly one of watchOS’s many benefits over Put on OS is its Sensible Stack system. Since its lukewarm debut, it has obtained a notable bump in performance with Dwell Exercise assist, which provides contextually related playing cards to the stack when required.

As an example, for those who simply requested an Uber, a card detailing a pickup countdown, the automobile mannequin, and its license plate will seem on the watch. As soon as the journey is underway, these particulars will swap to show the dropoff estimate and vacation spot. This could all occur seamlessly on the Apple Watch, and it’s one thing Put on OS ought to undertake.

Some might not like using AI on gadgets, however Gemini is each massively highly effective and helpful in sure situations. At this level, solely Google Assistant is supported on Put on OS smartwatches, however with Put on OS 6, I’d wish to see Gemini included as an choice. Furthermore, I’d wish to see Gemini Dwell assist.

I’ve used Dwell in numerous sides of my life, together with cooking and driving. The hands-on, free-flowing nature of the function makes it exceptionally helpful when your arms are certainly tied. Having such a function on the watch, or at the least the choice to make use of it, could be welcome.

Put on OS 6 anticipated launch date and identify

• Put on OS 5: July 2024
• Put on OS 4: July 2023
• Put on OS 3.5: October 2022

Since model 4, Put on OS has seen a constant mid-year launch. This timeline is designed to coincide with Samsung’s Galaxy Watch arrivals, as new variations of the OS debut on the Korean firm’s {hardware}. Given this, it’s not farfetched to think about that Put on OS 6 may debut in July 2025. Nonetheless, there’s proof that the following main Put on OS model may not be model 6.

Put on OS 5.1 is now accessible for testing for builders, with Google confirming that the watch OS relies on Android 15, the present pinnacle of Android. This means we might even see Put on OS 5.1 arrive in July 2025, not Put on OS 6. Moreover, whereas we count on a sixth main model of the OS to emerge sooner or later, it now appears prone to be based mostly on Android 16. This alone might recommend a a lot later arrival in 2025 and even 2026.

There isn’t any phrase on once we can count on a secure Put on OS 5.1 launch, not to mention Put on OS 6, so we wait with bated breath.

Will there be a Put on OS 6 beta?

Presumably, there will probably be a Put on OS 6 beta construct, at the least for a small number of supported gadgets. Samsung often provides beta builds of its smartwatch platforms, and it’ll seemingly do the identical for Put on OS 6.

That stated, going by prior expertise, you may count on a beta for older Samsung watches solely as soon as the secure model debuts on its newest Galaxy Watch mannequin.

As already talked about, we all know little or no about Put on OS 6 in its present kind, however contemplating that Put on OS 5.1 relies on Android 15 and can undertake a few of its traits, it stands to purpose that Put on OS 6 will probably be based mostly on Android 16 and combine a few of its enhancements, too.

A few of the rumored Android 16 options that might make an ideal addition to Put on OS embrace notification cooldowns and Do Not Disturb mode updates with Precedence Mode in tow.

As Put on OS 6 shouldn’t be but official, there is no such thing as a concrete phrase about which gadgets will obtain the replace. Nonetheless, based mostly on present replace insurance policies, we are able to piece collectively a dependable image.

Put on OS 6 needs to be accessible on Samsung Galaxy Watch fashions with the stability of their four-year replace assist window. This will likely embrace the Galaxy Watch 4, however ought to embrace the Galaxy Watch 5 and newer. We are able to additionally count on the Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 3 to obtain the OS model.