Google Pixel Watch will get three years of updates, Samsung Galaxy Watch5 will get 4 years

Google’s Pixel Watch AND Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 5 could also be based mostly on the identical Put on OS 3.x platform, however will not have the identical stage of software program help. In response to a really revealing Wires interview with Björn Kilburn, Google’s director of product administration for Put on OS, the Pixel Watch will obtain three years of software program updates.

However, Samsung’s Galaxy Watch5 will likely be 4 years previous. The reason for the discrepancy is that, beginning with Put on OS 3.x, Google is not chargeable for updates for wearables it does not manufacture. Earlier variations of Put on OS had all their updates come from Google, and that sounded nice in idea, however it did not actually do something for extra well timed releases in apply.

So with Put on OS 3 on, every smartwatch producer is chargeable for their very own updates. Not solely that, but additionally the connection – previous variations of Put on OS all used the identical Put on OS by Google telephone app to hook up with the watches, however now every producer has to develop their very own app for pairing. That is undoubtedly not an issue for firms like Samsung, which has had smartwatches on different platforms earlier than, however it could possibly be a barrier to entry into the Put on OS ecosystem for smaller firms, or just people who aren’t prepared to share a ton of sources for one thing like this.

Google’s Kilburn says the corporate’s objective is to launch a brand new model of Put on OS yearly, with quarterly updates additionally coming to deliver “new experiences” all year long in between larger upgrades.

He sadly could not clarify the unusual state of affairs the place the Pixel Watch comes with the Fitbit Put on OS app however not Google Match pre-installed, despite the fact that the latter is obtainable for all Put on OS units by way of the Play Retailer. Will a kind of apps fold into the opposite in just a few months? We might guess, given Google’s historical past, that is just about a given. However in the mean time there isn’t any official phrase on this.

In case you have a smartwatch operating Put on OS 2 and also you’re operating the Snapdragon Put on 4100 or 4100+, you are most likely questioning what occurred to Google’s promise to ship the replace to Put on OS 3 in 2022. That is apparently nonetheless the plan, in order that it is best to get it “later this yr”.

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