Google I/O is almost here and Wear OS 7 needs these 5 upgrades to stay competitive with Garmin and Apple Watches.

Google’s annual Google I/O developer conference is fast approaching. Besides getting new features for Android phones and a better look at these new Google Books, as a wearables enthusiast, I’m curious to see what happens with Wear OS 7.

Since Google I/O is primarily aimed at developers, we should take a closer look at the latest lineup of operating systems and AI powers that developers can use to build new apps and features like the Google Pixel Watch 4, Samsung Galaxy Watch8, and other upcoming and unannounced devices.

We got a little taste of what’s to come thanks to the Android Show, a Google stream broadcast on May 12 specifically focused on updates to the Android ecosystem. Although no changes in Wear OS 7 were mentioned specifically, we were able to discover some interesting new AI features that will be present in Wear OS and will help Google stay competitive with the best Garmin watches and the best Apple watches.

2. Automate complex tasks with Gemini Intelligence

During the Android Show, we saw a graphic of a message about having lunch with a friend displayed on a Pixel Watch. Once plans are made, a prompt appears to create a calendar event, listed as “Add lunch at Zany’s Bistro, Sunday 11:30 a.m.”

This is part of Gemini’s new “complex task automation” feature, which can see contextual information and perform tasks for you, such as reserving a front-row bike for your next spinning class or finding a coffee tour in Costa Rica that matches your specifications (both examples given in the presentation).

Since the feature has been touted as being under surveillance, we’re betting that Wear OS 7 will be great for not only notifying you that these things are happening, but also reflecting on the device itself. For example, I bet we could ask the watch to open Google Maps and generate directions to Zany’s Bistro based on the messages described, probably by asking a simple question like “how far is it?”

3. Rambler on the lookout

Coros Pace 4 speaking into microphone

(Image credit: Coros)

During the Android Show, we saw Director of Product Operations Dieter Bohn use software called Rambler, an enhanced AI-based text-to-speech that interprets long, unclear messages full of filler words and backtracking, rather than transcribing them literally.

As transcription improves, speech is becoming one of the primary ways to interact with wearable devices today. I certainly wouldn’t go very far in the kitchen without asking my Apple Watch Ultra 3 to set a timer for me, using its raise-to-talk functionality. As we expand our use of voice assistants with wearable devices, it’s hard not to see Rambler coming to Wear OS sooner rather than later.

4. Battery Improvements

All of these AI features require a lot of power. While it seems like every upgrade promises better and more efficient battery management, it’s almost a no-brainer if we’re getting upgraded AI tools – even if it’s just keeping devices like the Google Pixel Watch at or near the device’s battery life listed at the point of sale.

5. Context, context, context

Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 running trainer

(Image credit: Future)

We’ll likely see more unannounced features, but they’ll all revolve around the same sort of thing: using the power of AI to retrieve contextual information from existing features to improve or repeat previous features.

For example, if you show up to the same Pilates studio every week, Apple will combine the GPS information with the workout data and prompt you to start a Pilates workout. Its Workout Buddy function takes your complete exercise history and analyzes it, letting you know if the kilometer you just covered was the fastest in your history.

I’m confident we’ll see similar features on future Wear OS watches, and that might even be the case this year. Using historical data from different applications to anticipate user needs is already becoming a key part of the agentic AI experiences that companies like Google are trying to deliver.

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