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Google has begun testing Wear OS 5.1, its future operating system (OS) for Android-based wearables such as smartwatches, according to a report. Test versions of the OS have been detected for the Pixel Watch 2, implying that it may be based on a different version of Android. Google initially unveiled its Wear OS 5 platform at I/O 2024 in May, showing some of its features, including improvements to the Watch Face Format and a grid-based app launcher.
Google's Wear OS 5.1 test builds
According to an Android Authority article, Wear OS 5.1 may be built on Android 15, the future operating system for Android smartphones. This is claimed to break the norm of past years, in which Wear OS was based on the preceding year's Android version. For example, Wear OS 3, which was introduced last year, was built on Android 13 from 2022.
A similar pattern was noticed with Wear OS 5, which was based on Android 14 and debuted with the Galaxy Watch 7 in July as One UI 6 Watch. If this rumored OS does truly emerge, it will be Google's first intermediate point upgrade in two years, with the most recent being Wear OS 3.5 in October 2022. However, the article notes that the moniker is not official, and the tech titan may opt to modify it before its release.
Wear OS 5.1 test builds are said to contain IDs beginning with "AP4A". However, there is no information regarding any of its features or release date.
New Watch Face Format
With Wear OS 5, Google announced that watch faces created for smartwatches that do not use the Watch Face Format (WFF) will no longer be supported on the Google Play Store. While smartwatches running Wear OS 2 or later will retain access to existing non-WFF watch faces, data will not be transferred if the user decides to upgrade to a Wear OS 5-powered smartwatch. Furthermore, some watch faces may not be accessible for download.
This shift occurred following Google's cooperation with Samsung to launch WFF in 2023.
