Google is set to discontinue Assistant support for smartwatches running on Wear OS 2. A notification in the recent version of the Wear OS companion app, highlighted by 9to5 Google, states, “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 said companion app caters to devices running Wear OS 2 or its preceding versions. In contrast, newer devices like the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4, Fossil smartwatches, and the Pixel Watch, which run Wear OS 3, have a distinct Assistant app.
This decision will affect a plethora of older watch models from 2020 and before, from brands like Tag Heuer, Mobvoi, Motorola, Oppo, Xiaomi, Misfit, Casio, and LG. A comprehensive list detailing Wear OS devices and their supported operating system versions can be found on Wikipedia. However, due to the open-edit nature of Wikipedia, it’s prudent to cross-verify the information about the compatibility of your watch with Wear OS 3 from other sources.
The exact timeline for the cessation of Assistant support on these older devices remains ambiguous. For those dependent on the Assistant feature on their Wear OS 2 watches, considering an upgrade could be timely. Coincidentally, Google is anticipated to announce its next Pixel Watch in the coming months, typically coinciding with its annual hardware event in October.
