Summary
- Google showcased their dedication to AI at I/O 2024, unveiling Android 15 and Wear OS 5 updates.
- Wear OS 5 will bring a grid-based app launcher and a new privacy dashboard to enhance user experience.
- Users can also expect up to 20% less power consumption with Wear OS 5, along with improved visuals.
Google really showed the world that it’s all in when it comes to artificial intelligence during its I/O 2024 developer conference. Of course, this comes as no surprise, as the advancement of AI has been the hot topic of the tech world over the past couple of years, with the likes of OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, and others really pushing the movement forward. With that said, Google still shared some notable updates during the event, with announcements for Android 15 and Wear OS 5.
Here’s what the Pixel Watch’s new app drawer and dynamic themes look like
The changes could roll out with the March 2024 Feature Drop
Although we won’t see these officially drop until sometime towards the end of the year, developers are able to get their hands on them, which gives the interested public a chance to see what’s changed and what’s potentially coming down the pipeline. While Android 15 Beta 2 will no doubt be the more popular one to explore, Wear OS 5 isn’t far behind, offering some nice changes and enhancements that will no doubt shape the future of wearables.
Not the most exciting, but still important
With that said, it appears that we’re getting some new details on the latter, thanks to Mishaal Rahman of Android Authority, who found a couple new features that weren’t mentioned by Google in its press release. According to Rahman, the Wear OS 5 Developer Preview provides proper access to the grid-based app launcher that was reported some months back. Previously, this feature could be accessed in Wear OS 4, but needed to be forcefully enabled.
On the Wear OS 5 Developer Preview users will only need to head into the Settings menu, navigate to General, and then App view, in order to toggle the settings. This new look won’t be the default, and it certainly won’t be replacing the current list view either. While this feature will be new to some, eagle-eyed Wear OS users will probably have seen this grid-based app launcher before. That’s because there are device manufacturers that are already using this layout in their products.
The second thing that Rahman was able to uncover was a new privacy dashboard that can be found under the Apps & notification menu found in the Settings section. This menu has been a staple part of Android for a few years now and will allow users to see how permissions are being accessed with the installed apps. Having a clear visual representation and hub for this kind of information is critical, especially for someone that’s cautious of their data.
Of course, all of these new features are quite exciting, but one of the biggest from Wear OS 5 will be battery life. While Google hasn’t shared all the details of its upcoming software update, the company has shared that users should see up to 20% less power consumption when using a Wear OS 5 smartwatch for certain activities. Of course, the look and feel of Wear OS will also see improvements too, with enhanced complications and other visual boosts.
Wear OS 5 looks to be shaping up to be a real game changer for wearables, and with time still on Google’s side, there’s no telling what else will come ahead of its official release. While we’d wish this update would come sooner than later, chances are, we’re going to see it arrive sometime towards the end of the year.