It looks like Google’s Wear OS smartwatch operating system, as well as its own Pixel Watch, is about to receive a pair of crucial new applications.
Both Gmail and Calendar are currently in development and are expected to arrive on the Wear OS system soon, according to 9to5Google. This is great news for smartwatch users, and especially buyers of the new Pixel Watch, as these applications are currently missing from Google’s wearable operating system.
This is because, given the tiny displays of smartwatches, Google has until now opted to present calendar and email information via watchface complications and notifications. Instead of proper apps, a user’s Google calendar is only accessible via the smartwatch-only Agenda app, which only shows events up to three days in the future.
Google smartwatch and Pixel Watch users can only create a new calendar event by speaking to the Google Assistant, whereas Samsung fans and users of its Galaxy Watch wearables can access a fully-fledged mobile calendar app.
Similarly, Google’s Wear OS system and Pixel Watch can only handle Gmail via notifications. There is no email inbox to view, and once an email disappears from the notification panel, it can no longer be viewed on the watch.
Thankfully, it sounds like Google is working to change this – and it’s about time, given the Pixel Watch can be used with a cellular connection, and is therefore expected to work without a smartphone nearby for checking in on calendar entries and Gmail inboxes.
9to5Google says the company is currently testing Wear OS versions of both apps on the Pixel Watch, and claims the user experience for both has been described as “full”.
It isn’t clear yet if calendar events and emails can be created within the smartwatch applications, but being able to view events more than three days in the future, and scroll through a Gmail inbox, both represent meaningful steps forward for Google’s smartwatch ecosystem.
