Google’s Wear OS operating system powers a wide range of smartwatches from multiple manufacturers, but it got especially good following the release of Wear OS 3, and it has only gotten better from there. Wear OS 6 is finally here, and it’s packing a lot of improvements.
Google has just announced the latest update to Wear OS, version 6. It is a direct successor of version 5, which was released last year. Google didn’t provide a lot of details about the update, but Wear OS updates, even major ones, have usually been rather minor as far as actually new features go—usually, the bulk of features your smartwatch has hinges more on your manufacturer than on the actual OS it runs. We do have a couple of interesting tidbits to highlight, however.
The main one, or at least the one that Google is highlighting more prominently, is the fact that we have a brand new design language, Material 3 Expressive. It’s one of the bigger highlights on today’s slate of announcements, and it’s every bit as vibrant on your smartwatch as it is on smartphones. Not only will you find a few design changes here and there, but you might actually find those design changes to be useful rather than just pretty. Buttons are bigger and more space-efficient, theming is considerably more consistent, and navigating your watch should feel a lot more “alive,” so to speak. Keep in mind that this is only something you’ll notice if you have a Pixel Watch—some third-party smartwatches like the Samsung Galaxy Watch have their own customizations on top.
The second big change comes in the form of efficiency improvements, and that’s probably the one most users will notice. There’s a noticeable improvement in efficiency, that therefore results in better battery life. The ultimate result of this is that you will probably notice up to a 10% increase in battery life. It’s not much, but it makes the difference between having your smartwatch die at 6 PM vs. making it home with your watch turned on—it’s an extra 2 to 3 hours depending on the watch’s battery life, so that’s pretty good if there aren’t any weird shenanigans or performance issues attached to that improved efficiency.
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The update is likely based on Android 16, seeing how Wear OS 5.1 is based on Android 15, though these major updates aren’t always a telltale sign. Most of the changes that will come as part of Android 16 to your smartphone won’t come to your watch, so this is mainly just a platform update to ensure your hardware has the latest and best thing available. The update will first come to the Pixel Watch range before rolling out to other smartwatches.
