Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Mobile
  3. Features

Wearables at Google I/O 2021: Everything new announced today

Michael Bizzaco
By
Sundar Pichai stands in front of a Google logo at Google I/O 2021.
This story is part of our complete Google I/O coverage

Google has been perfecting its smartwatch operating system, Wear OS, for many years now. Despite the myriad of Android smartwatches on the market, as well as tweaks to the experience, the platform has remained in the shadow of the Apple Watch line. However, this year’s Google I/O keynote brought some intriguing new revelations about plans to move the platform onto a more sustainable route for long-term growth. While many of us are eager for new hardware, the developer’s show focused more on the software — but that’s not to say we won’t see something in the remaining days of Google I/O 2021. Here’s everything announced at the keynote.

Google and Samsung join forces for Wear

Google

In a major announcement at Google’s I/O 2021 event, Google said it is partnering with Samsung on a massive revamp of the Wear OS mobile platform, which will now simply be called “Wear.” What we’re looking at is Samsung’s Tizen and Google’s Android combining forces to make for a faster, smarter, and more responsive wearables experience.

Recommended Videos

For starters, app startup on new Google wearables is improved by up to 30%, thanks to innovations in device chipsets. Smoother interface animations and better motion capabilities for watch displays will be a direct result of this improvement.

Related

Enhancements to battery life are also forthcoming, thanks to revamped low-power hardware cores. Users can look forward to Google watches lasting longer across the board. This is great news for those looking to keep tabs on various health and fitness monitors. Third-party developers can also look forward to their day in the sun, as the new Android/Tizen pairing means an improved, intuitive springboard for developers to craft apps for Google’s wearable lineup.

Fitbit and YouTube Music coming soon

While many of Google’s staple apps have been a part of Wear, such as Google Maps and Google Assistant, other popular apps will be making their way to the platform. The biggest will be the welcome addition of popular Fitbit features, such as health and fitness tracking. This integration will allow users to have even more devices, some of which have been siloed into Fitbit’s platform for a long time, to consider.

YouTube Music will also be making its way to Wear — providing subscribers with the ability to download their favorite music for local listening. A dedicated app means no longer being tied down to a smartphone when it comes to listening to music on the go.

Enhancements to the navigation experience

Enhancements to the overall user experience include new navigation abilities. This includes a quick relaunch for recently used apps, which will be accessible from any part of the watch face. For those looking to customize their experience, new Tiles utilize data from apps like Calm, Sleep Cycle, and Flo to give you at-a-glance info from the services you use the most. Spotify is another app that will get a new look on the latest Google wearables.

All of this and more will be rolling out later this year. You can be sure we’ll be reporting on it, along with other major announcements through the rest of Google’s I/O event.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Michael Bizzaco
Michael Bizzaco
Michael Bizzaco has been writing about and working with consumer tech for well over a decade, writing about everything from…
Google just announced 8 big Android updates. Here’s what’s new
A photo of many Android figurines on a white wall.

At Moblie World Congress (MWC ) 2024, Google is bringing a healthy bunch of new features to Android. In line with the AI push all across the industry, some notable AI-driven enhancements are on the table. There are also a handful of core Android features that sound practically amazing.
The first in line is Gemini. The generative AI chatbot recently got a standalone app for Android, and now it’s headed for the Google Messages app. Users can chat with Gemini directly in the messaging app and use its generative capabilities for a host of things, like drafting replies, refining a message, and more.

Another feature that was showcased a while ago is finally ready for prime time. Android Auto is gaining support for message summarization for standalone texts and group chats, and it can also suggest replies. With a single tap, users will also be able to drop a message, start a call, and share an estimated arrival time. The idea is to deploy AI for crucial tasks so that it can minimize distractions while driving.
Lookout, an accessibility-centric feature for users with vision challenges, is also getting meaningful AI love. On Android phones, Lookout will now read AI-generated captions and descriptions for media content. For now, the AI boost to Lookout and Messages is limited to the English language.

Read more
The Google Pixel Fold 2 just leaked. Here’s everything that’s new
Schematics of Google Pixel 2 according to leaks.

Google’s next foldable phone is going to be a screamer, and not solely for good reasons, if the latest leaks are to be believed. SmartPrix (via OnLeaks) has shared alleged renders depicting the Google Pixel Fold 2, and it looks like a mixed bag of regressive design and positive developments.
The biggest change compared to the first-gen Google Pixel Fold is a camera bump that ditches the stretched bar look on the current-gen Pixel smartphones. Instead, we now have a rectangular design with two rows of pill-shaped black outlines, hosting three camera lenses and a bunch of other sensors.
It’s a stark departure from the mainstream Pixel camera bar, and it revives a look that was last seen on the Pixel 5 and Pixel 4 series phones. Looks aside, the side placement also means the phone will keep wobbling if you place it on a flat surface. I’m not exactly a fan of this approach, to be honest.

Another notable change is the side profile. The curved edges of the Pixel Fold have been flattened, a look that will also appear on the Google Pixel 9 series phones, according to leaked renders.
But if you look closely and ignore the ugly camera hump shape, the Pixel Fold 2 looks identical to the OnePlus Open in its leathery black trim. The side rails, those curved bezels, and the front camera placement are all identical.
Even the ridge seems to have been lifted straight from the OnePlus Open, down to its polished metal aesthetics. It’s not a bad thing, as the OnePlus Open is one of the best-built phones I’ve ever used, and the form factor is an absolute joy to handle.
The most progressive change happens once the phone is opened. The thick bezels are gone, and what we see on the Pixel Fold 2 renders are uniformly thin bezels on all sides, a trend that we first noticed on the foldable phones offered by Oppo.

Read more
Apple may announce new iPads next month. Here’s everything we expect
The yellow iPad (2022) lying face-down on a green bush.

When it comes to Apple, we expect a new product refresh annually at this point, including for the iPad. However, that didn't happen in 2023. In fact, 2023 was the first year that Apple didn't release a new iPad model at all, which means we haven’t had new iPad releases since 2022.

It’s unclear why we didn’t see any new iPads last year. However, that should also be an indicator that we can expect some big changes for the next generation of iPad models, which are rumored to come out this year. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has even said that we could see new iPads as early as March.

Read more