Google Assistant to stop working on Wear OS 2 devices: Here's everything you need to know

Google will stop supporting its Assistant on smartwatches running Wear OS 2. It will affect devices that are not eligible for the latest Wear OS 3 update. However, the company is yet to announce the date when the said change will take effect.

According to 9to5Google, Google is rolling out version 2.65.11.552438494 of the Wear OS companion app that contains a string, which says, “Google Assistant support on this watch is ending soon. Please upgrade to a newer watch that supports Google Assistant and runs Wear OS 3 or later”. 

The companion app is only needed for Wear OS 2 or earlier versions and Wear OS 3 gets a dedicated Google Assistant app in the Play Store. 

Wear OS 3 was launched in May 2022 on Galaxy Watch 4 and come to Google Pixel Watch in October of that year. It requires Android 11 and up and offers faster performance, longer battery life and more apps and services. 

Wear OS 3-supported voice commands that let you set reminders, alarms and times, control your smart home, smart a call or send a message and more. 

Google’s latest move will impact older smartwatches dating back to 2020 and earlier and these include some smartwatches from Tag Heuer, Mobvoi, Motorola, Oppo, Xiaomi, Misfit, Casio and LG.

Impacted users who want to continue using Assistant on their wrist will need to upgrade to a smartwatch that supports Wear OS 3 or later. 

Meanwhile, Samsung has rolled out a new software update for its Galaxy Watch 5 and Watch 4 series, bringing new features and improvements to the smartwatches. The update, dubbed One UI 5 for Watch, is based on Android 13 and Wear OS 4.0 and is available for both the Bluetooth and LTE variants of the watches.

One of the highlights of the One UI 5 update is the improved sleep management feature, which gives users a sleep score that evaluates their sleep quality based on various metrics. These include the time spent in each sleep phase, the amount of snoring, and the blood oxygen levels. The update also got a Sleep Coach feature that will determine the type of sleep after seven days of monitoring and some sleep surveys. It will also provide four-to-five weeks of coaching program to help users improve their sleep habits.

The One UI 5 for Watch update is rolling out gradually to all Galaxy Watch 5 and Watch 4 users across the world. You can check for the update by going to Settings then to System and then to Software Update on your watch.