Android Wear changes name to 'Wear OS by Google'

Posted:
in Apple Watch edited March 2018
Google announced that it has pivoted its wearables efforts towards "Wear OS by Google," calling it "a wearables operating system for everyone."




The change was announced in a blog post by Dennis Troper, the director of product management for the new Wear OS by Google. The shift is being made, Troper said, because "as our technology and partnerships have evolved, so have our users." Google has noted that one out of three new Android Wear users also uses an iPhone.

"We're announcing a new name that better reflects our technology, vision, and most important of all-- the people who wear our watches," Troper wrote.

The move by Google was announced ahead of the Baselworld event next week in Switzerland. The name will be rolled out over the next few weeks.

Android Wear was originally announced four years ago, in March of 2014, starting with Android 4.3 and iOS 8.2; it debuted about a year before Apple Watch launched. AppleInsider reviewed Android Wear 2.0 in 2017.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 18
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    While a name change does make sense considering it's not a platform just for Android, this change won't help the underlying issue that Google has Wear OS very low on the priority totem pole and has for some time. 
    muthuk_vanalingamjony0
  • Reply 2 of 18
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    WearY
    Muntzgilly017watto_cobrajony0
  • Reply 3 of 18
    Or a number of their potential buyers didn't want to buy 'Android' anything. 
    StevenSterkMuntzStrangeDaysjbdragoncornchipRayz2016watto_cobrajony0
  • Reply 4 of 18
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    Or a number of their potential buyers didn't want to buy 'Android' anything. 
    Spot on. Then add in those who assumed Android Wear meant "only works with Android". 
    racerhomie3randominternetpersonmuthuk_vanalingamjony0
  • Reply 5 of 18
    KuyangkohKuyangkoh Posts: 838member
    If it quacks like a duck, it is a duck....not chicken
    jbdragonwatto_cobrajony0
  • Reply 6 of 18
    GG1GG1 Posts: 483member
    ...rearranging the deck chairs...
    Muntzjbdragonwatto_cobrajony0
  • Reply 7 of 18
    MuntzMuntz Posts: 26member
    Horrible name from a branding perspective. It doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue.
    randominternetpersonStrangeDaysjbdragonwatto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 18
    racerhomie3racerhomie3 Posts: 1,264member
    SucksOS.
    StrangeDaysgilly017jbdragonwatto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 18
    jdb8167jdb8167 Posts: 626member
    Kind of like a Microsoft naming scheme. Neat.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 18
    BluntBlunt Posts: 224member
    Any news what the name will be next month?
    lkrupprandominternetpersonjbdragonwatto_cobrajony0
  • Reply 11 of 18
    They should dub it Google Strap-on.
    edited March 2018 randominternetpersonStrangeDaysgilly017jbdragoncornchipRayz2016smiffy31watto_cobra
  • Reply 12 of 18
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member
    gatorguy said:
    While a name change does make sense considering it's not a platform just for Android, this change won't help the underlying issue that Google has Wear OS very low on the priority totem pole and has for some time. 
    A turd painted a different color and with a few chunks of undigested corn in it is still a turd.
    edited March 2018 jbdragonwatto_cobra
  • Reply 13 of 18
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    lkrupp said:
    gatorguy said:
    While a name change does make sense considering it's not a platform just for Android, this change won't help the underlying issue that Google has Wear OS very low on the priority totem pole and has for some time. 
    A turd painted a different color and with a few chunks of undigested corn in it is still a turd.
    I was pretty much saying the same thing but in nicer language. :)
    edited March 2018 muthuk_vanalingam
  • Reply 14 of 18
    Ha! Goophabet comes up with another "winner"!!!!!
    SpamSandwichwatto_cobra
  • Reply 15 of 18
    We are on roll in here today. Lol. Love all the posts.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 16 of 18
    jbdragonjbdragon Posts: 2,305member
    gatorguy said:
    Or a number of their potential buyers didn't want to buy 'Android' anything. 
    Spot on. Then add in those who assumed Android Wear meant "only works with Android". 
    See, I don't get how that's a problem.  So it works on iOS?  Who cares!!!!  Android has the larger market share and most Apple users are going to get an Apple Watch, some Android Wear or whatever new name of the week Google calls it that will never work anywhere near as good.  As no matter what, they will never have the full access that the Apple Watch has.

    Google pulled all their Android Wear watch off their Store quite a while ago and it's been nothing. I assumed they game up.  The Biggest selling of Android Watches have been Samesung, which has been using TIZEN anyway and sell most of the Android Watches, and even that seems to be a tiny fraction of watches compared to the Apple Watch.

    I don't see how a Name Change is going to fix anything.  I'm going to assume they're going to copy WatchOS and hope that increases sales.


    edited March 2018 watto_cobra
  • Reply 17 of 18
    brakkenbrakken Posts: 687member
    Just like MS changing names: shit by any other name smells just as much.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 18 of 18
    radarthekatradarthekat Posts: 3,842moderator
    In related news, Google has announced it will rename Android to Where OS, citing its superior ability to track its users’ every move.

    [sound of mic hitting floor]
    watto_cobraGG1king editor the grate
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