Google has yet to launch its first smartwatch, but the company may already be working on the next steps for its wearable plans. According to an protocol report, Google plans to integrate fitness trackers into Google TV and Android TV as part of a broader effort to strengthen its product ecosystem. The question is whether the historically fragmented Wear OS platform is up to the challenge.
The company is said to have set out its plans at a private event with its TV partners, protocol reports. The idea is to let Wear OS and Fitbit users broadcast real-time stats like heart rate and calories burned on the screen. Better smart home controls are also part of the plan. That said, these efforts can take some time. Google’s fitness plans aren’t likely to come out until 2023 at the earliest, with smart home efforts next year. This is partly because Google’s partners need to create more powerful smart TVs and streaming gadgets to make all of this possible.
In the near term, the company is also reportedly working to bolster its wireless audio offerings on the platform. That includes enabling Nest speakers to work wirelessly with TVs and bringing Fast Pair to the Pixel Buds so that users can use them more easily with Google TV devices.
If this all sounds familiar, it’s because the plans are very similar to what Apple has done with its Fitness Plus service and smart home offerings. Apple Watch owners can take video workout classes with their real-time stats displayed on the Apple TV, iPhone, or iPad. (And as of watchOS 9, users can broadcast real-time stats to non-Apple TVs via AirPlay.) You can also use the HomePod or HomePod Mini with the Apple TV 4K to a home cinema setup. You’ve also been able to pair AirPods with Apple TVs for ages.
The point is that Apple has always had a walled garden, which makes it easier for it to realize its vision of gadgets that “just work.” There are minor differences between the different Apple Watch versions, but overall you get a unified Fitness Plus experience across all Apple devices. It would be one thing if this Google TV fitness tracker integration was just for the upcoming Pixel Watch. But if it is meant to be compatible with each Wear an OS or Fitbit device, Google needs to figure out how to create a similar experience across devices.
While Google convinced Samsung to join forces in creating a unified wearable platform, Wear OS 3 shows signs of the same fragmentation that hindered previous versions of the platform. The Wear OS 3 we’ll see on the Pixel Watch will be different from the Wear OS Powered by Samsung on the Galaxy Watch 4. Both are different from the stripped-down Wear OS 3 on the Montblanc Summit 3 I saw last week testing . While the Pixel Watch and Galaxy Watch 4 are Android-only, the Summit 3 supports iOS. In addition, both the Galaxy Watch 4 and Montblanc Summit 3 require a separate companion app to control the smartwatches. All three watches run on different chips, sensors and health functions. Theoretically, these differences shouldn’t matter, but history tells us they probably will when it comes to ecosystem-based experiences.
Fragmentation isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it’s a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it offers more variety, and variety is the spice of life. Done right, Google’s ecosystem can have strong third-party support. Applied to interactive home workouts, it could be a huge potential force for Wear OS in the future. For example, if Peloton or ObĂ© had a Google TV app that works seamlessly with Wear OS or Fitbit devices, that would be incredibly cool. Google shouldn’t even have to spend money to produce fitness content in-house like Apple does.
On the other hand, this means that Google has to work closely with external partners to ensure that we all have a good time. The Wear OS ecosystem has several moving parts, each of which has to work pretty well to keep the whole thing running. One weak link can bring everything to a halt. In this case, Wear OS’s problems weren’t entirely Google’s fault. Qualcomm didn’t have a portable chip powerful enough to allow the platform to play on the same field as its competitors. (But that may soon change.) Outdated hardware caused software stagnation, leading to lackluster smartwatches. It’s a vicious circle that Google is just beginning to break.
Wear OS 3 – and Google’s ambient computing vision – is still in the tricky transition phase. We don’t know the final form of Wear OS 3, and there shall have more growing pains ahead of them. At this point, the Pixel Watch isn’t out yet, and neither is Qualcomm’s new wearable chip. Fossil has yet to drop its first flagship line of Wear OS 3, and Fitbit has promised a premium Wear OS smartwatch sometime in the future. That said, it’s hugely encouraging to see Google think big and have plans for the platform beyond the Pixel Watch. Hopefully the gamble pays off.
Janice has been with businesskinda for 5 years, writing copy for client websites, blog posts, EDMs and other mediums to engage readers and encourage action. By collaborating with clients, our SEO manager and the wider businesskinda team, Janice seeks to understand an audience before creating memorable, persuasive copy.