In addition to new features like Reading Mode and Digital Car Key for Android phones and tablets, Google is also bringing new features to smartwatches running Wear OS. Google has introduced 3 new Tiles (called “cards” in China) and improved native apps, and Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 5 will get these new features early.
Google said it introduced 3 new Tiles for Wear OS smartwatches: Favorite Contacts, Sunrise Time and Sunset Time. Favorite Contacts serves all users, while the latter two show sunrise and sunset are not very useful for regular users, but may provide some help for photographers, athletes and people who like outdoor activities.
Tiles is a feature introduced by Google in WearOS 2.0. Most users don’t raise their wrist for more than 5 seconds on average, so the information on the watch must be easy to find, simple to interact with, and actionable, which is why Tiles was created.
Tiles is a widget-like UI that allows users to get the information they need and perform actions in a more convenient way. Adding, deleting, and reordering can be controlled through the mobile app.
Google Keep, the notes app, has also been updated to bring the ability to view tags, collaborators, photos, custom backgrounds, and even drawings. In addition, Google Assistant is integrated with the Adidas Running app, so Galaxy Watch users can request the Adidas Running app through Google Assistant to start a running workout.
