Wear OS

The Android Wear brand introduced in 2014 is going

away and being replaced with a new name: Wear OS.

A new area of Google’s website has officially confirmed

the change. Wear OS even has a new slogan: “Make

every minute matter.” For now, that’s really all the news

there is; since it works on both Android and iOS, Google’s

smartwatch platform is being given a more flexible moniker

that doesn’t tie it to a specific mobile operating system.

Apple’s software platform on the Apple Watch is called

watchOS.

And even though Wear OS doesn’t give iPhone users

all the same features as Android users, some iPhone

owners are actually picking watches with Google’s

software over the Apple Watch. “In 2017, one out of

three new Android Wear watch owners also used an

Phone,” claims Google. Android users still make up

the majority of customers, but it’s not as lopsided as

you might think. Over 50 Wear OS watches have hit

the market so far, and fashion brands have really

gravitated to the platform. It can be a bit hard to tell

some of their offerings apart at this point.

“We’re announcing a new name that better reflects our

technology, vision, and most important of all — the people

who wear our watches. We’re now Wear OS by Google,

a wearables operating system for everyone,” Google’s

Dennis Tropper said in a blog post. “You’ll begin to see

the new name on your watch and phone app over the

next few weeks.