Rumors that Samsung may potentially ditched Tizen, its own portable operating system, for Google’s Wear OS, has been flying lately. This is a staggering idea, considering that Samsung smartwatches are currently the best Android-friendly smartwatches, and Wear OS is a stinking mess.
As an example: 9to5Google reported that the phrases “OK Google” or “Hey Google” to activate Google Wear OS Watch Assistant it was broken for months. Google also confirmed The Verge that he was aware of this bug, which has plagued users since at least November 2020, and is working on a solution. Although you can still use the Assistant by pressing buttons for a long time (this is actually my preferred method of removing Assistant on Wear OS), this means that Google has known the issue for so long and still has not resolved the issue.
Wear OS has long been one of Google’s most neglected projects, but it’s a new low. The main reason to choose a Wear OS watch on a Fitbit or Samsung smartwatch is integral integration with Google Assistant and Google Pay. If you do not mind fixing one of the most important selling points of your portable platform quickly, I’m not sure I can say with confidence that Wear OS will be for the long term. And this is not the only case. Back in October, even Google place Wear OS second by first releasing a YouTube Music app for the Apple Watch. Worse, the latest updates from Google for Wear OS were at best slim, with slightly better loading times for apps and a tile again like the marquee function.
That was all Wear OS had to offer in 2020. Compare that to Samsung’s instant year, in which it is absolutely the park with the Galaxy Watch 3. Right now, the Galaxy Watch 3 is the only other flagship smartwatch that can go with almost every feature with the Apple Watch. Of course it is not perfect. Some features like the FDA-cleaned electrocardiogram app is currently only available for Samsung smartphone owners. However, there is really no competition between the Galaxy Watch 3 and even the best of the best Wear OS watches I have tested.
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To be honest, Samsung once used Wear OS – then Android Wear – on its smartwatches. But in 2014, it makes the switch to Tizen with the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo, probably for the same reasons almost every other smartwatch maker except back then Fossil: Google’s awkward user interface, low adoption rate and the outdated Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 chip.
So why, why would Samsung go back to a platform that has yet to get its shit together? I can think of a few reasons, but none of them are particularly good. For starters, Tizen does not have a great ecosystem of third-party apps, and switching to Wear OS could allow for more apps. But to be honest, Wear OS apps are not getting many developers love, even if there is more of them. Spotify for Wear OS, for example, is a glorified remote, while Spotify for Tizen allows you to use offline playlists. Google’s original Wear OS applications are OK at best, and honestly, it’s bizarre that the built-in Google Fit Workout App is actually now divided into various different versions. Google Fit, even with newer updates, is also no better than Samsung Health, and installing both on your watch is tedious.
The other reason I could see Samsung making the switch would be to bring the option of Google Assistant and Google Pay to Samsung watches. And it’s going to be great, because Samsung Pay is more limited to use than Google Pay, and who the hell actually likes Bixby? But do Samsung need to go all-in on Wear OS to include Assistant and Google Pay? Fitbit succeed in having Google Assistant working on Fitbit OS, why not allow Samsung to do the same? (Granted, Fitbit probably has Assistant because Google now owns the company.)
There is a clear chance that a Samsung Wear OS watch sucks less than any other Wear OS watch. But it’s mostly because Samsung can use its own Exynos SoC instead of relying on Qualcomm’s, which does the minimum. While I’m sure Samsung’s navigation with a swivel ring can be transferred to a Wear OS watch, it just would not be as good as Google’s a Wear OS sheet (which what Oppo did with its Wear OS look). It is telling that Wear OS was actually decent on the Oppo Watch because it does not look or function like Wear OS. And at that point, what’s the point of switching from Tizen again?
Clearly, Google is using Samsung more with Wear OS than vice versa. Samsung bringing its smartwatch innovations to that platform will suddenly make it relevant again—Although all of Samsung’s applications, including those requiring FDA approval, can jump seamlessly.
Except that it would not make Wear OS as a whole good. To make this happen, other watchmakers need to determine how Wear OS can best be used. Google will actually have to update the damn platform with actually well features, not incremental that are barely a turn on the radar. Qualcomm will have to figure out how to update its portable SoC current process technology and do it more than once every two years. And that’s if Google does not decide to increase-end the whole thing now that it owns Fitbit na make something completely different.
Android users – and not just those who use Samsung smartphones – deserve an excellent smartwatch. It just does not seem to be the best way to get one.