- Wear OS users get an upgrade to earthquake alerts
- Since Google Play Services update 26.07, earthquake alerts are delivered to your watch even without a phone nearby.
- Presumably this requires the use of cellular connectivity – Bluetooth-only models are unlikely to get these without a connected device.
Users of the best Android watches – which run on Wear OS – are getting a new life-saving upgrade with the latest Google Play update (Google Play Services v26.07, if you’re curious).
The changelog says “[Wear] With this feature, you can now receive earthquake alerts on your Wear devices, even [when] it is not paired with the phone.”
This is a new addition that could potentially save lives because if you are ever away from your phone (for example, while running or if you left your phone in your locker at a gym), earthquake alerts will continue to be transmitted, providing crucial early warning. After all, if you’re on a treadmill, you’ll want to stop the thing and take cover!
While the update doesn’t specify it, we’re guessing there’s a catch: The update will likely only apply to watches with cellular connectivity, not Bluetooth-only watches, unless it’s pushed via satellite to modern Google Pixel Watch 4s with that feature. We’ll know more for sure as the update rolls out.
Aside from the seismic alert change, this update is very minimal. The only other change, according to 9to5Google, is to phones: a quality-of-life autofill change to improve password syncing.
Wear OS users don’t often receive the type of updates that the best Garmin watches receive, which usually regularly add new features, workout profiles, and more, like the most recent Garmin Fenix 8 update.
