Where, Oh Where, Was Wear OS 7 at Google I/O This Year?
Wear OS 7 received minimal attention at Google I/O this year, highlighting a shift towards AI health tools. The focus was primarily on integrating AI into health and fitness through devices like the screenless Fitbit Air. While Wear OS updates include minor improvements, the overarching trend suggests that hardware is becoming a means to deliver AI services rather than the main product.
- ▪Wear OS 7 was mentioned only briefly at Google I/O 2023.
- ▪The event emphasized AI health tools and the new Fitbit Air, a screenless fitness tracker.
- ▪Wear OS 7 updates include battery improvements and a new AppFunctions API for developers.
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Google's smartwatch operating system took a back seat at I/O this year, and its lack of prominence reveals where AI is heading next: your body.Last year, Wear OS 6 debuted a redesigned interface, smoother animations, battery optimizations and, most importantly, Gemini on the wrist. The company framed smartwatches as the next major surface for AI, with Wear OS positioned as a central part of Android's future. Turns out this may have marked the beginning of a larger shift. This year, Wear OS 7 got little more than a passing mention. Instead, Google I/O focused heavily on AI health tools, Gemini integrations, XR glasses and supporting hardware like the screenless Fitbit Air, a $100 band with no display, designed primarily as a gateway into Google's health ecosystem.
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