4 things Google’s Wear OS 7 does better than Apple’s watchOS 26

Google recently announced Wear OS 7, its Android software for smartwatches, at the Google I/O conference. Although the update is expected to be available later this year, it will include several new features, such as support for over-the-air updates, a whole new way for users to interact with widgets, and much more. While some of these features are already available to Apple Watch users with watchOS 26 (and even older software updates), there are a few features that Google’s Wear OS 7 should improve, like built-in AI support, thanks to Gemini, a few new tools to help developers create new fitness apps, and proper media control.

Especially when we’re talking about built-in AI, it’s not something we expect Apple to add to the Apple Watch, even if the company is working with Google to power Siri with a custom Gemini model. Currently, with watchOS 26, Apple is offering a few Apple Intelligence features, but they all require having an iPhone nearby. Even though the Apple Watch is the most popular smartwatch on the market, it’s still missing a few features, including some that Google just announced for Android that we don’t expect Apple to implement in watchOS 27.

Google’s Wear OS 7 benefits from Gemini Intelligence. While this feature will be available on select watches released later this year, Google says this AI tool will provide “proactive, personalized help to our users so they can focus on what matters.” When the company announced Gemini Intelligence, it highlighted how Android is transitioning from an operating system to an “intelligence system.”

Built-in AI includes features that simplify boring tasks, like ordering your favorite takeout or using the same Uber route. Another useful feature is turning expressed thoughts into neat text, which could help users think even without their phone.

Although we’ll have to see how Gemini Intelligence will work with certain Wear OS 7 devices, Apple is a long way from adding built-in Apple Intelligence features to the Apple Watch. With watchOS 26, the standout feature is Workout Buddy, which acts as an AI coach for your workouts, but it only works if you have an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone nearby. Other features include Genmoji and priority notifications, but they also depend on your iPhone. That said, with rumors suggesting that watchOS 27 will be a small update focused on fixing bugs and generally improving stability, it looks like Wear OS 7 will remain the most interesting update for smartwatches this year.

Not only is Google integrating AI into Android smartwatches, but it is also allowing third-party apps to take advantage of it. Google allows developers to leverage artificial intelligence through the AppFunctions API. With it, they can integrate Google Gemini and other AI agents into their applications, so they can perform tasks using voice. Some of the examples Google gives aren’t very impressive, though, like starting an errand or reminding a user to pick up something from work at a certain time. However, other possibilities are very interesting, such as “Create a new playlist with the best jazz albums of this year” or “Find the noodle recipe in Lisa’s email and add the ingredients to my shopping list.”

With the second part of the examples, Wear OS 7 shows how far the agentic experience can go, while Siri on the Apple Watch can only start a workout, play a song/playlist/album, or even help you send a message to someone. Still, getting cross-referenced information from an email and then creating a shopping list from it is similar to what Apple previewed a few years ago at WWDC 2024 and what it expected Siri to do with Apple Intelligence, but it never did. Although the new Siri should finally tap into user data, it’s unclear whether this feature will be exclusive to iPhone users or whether it could be expanded.

Although developer conferences are designed to help developers build better apps for the ecosystem they work in, that doesn’t necessarily mean companies give them access to all the tools. To this day, Apple still limits access to certain essential features, claiming that it protects user privacy. Yet with Wear OS 7, Google is making it easier for developers to create third-party fitness trackers.

The new Wear Workout Tracker experience includes some must-have fitness app tools that developers won’t have to worry about when creating their apps, such as heart rate monitoring, media control, and other features that might attract more developers to create apps for the Android platform.

For example, my favorite fitness app for Apple Watch, Gentler Streak, is exclusive to the Apple ecosystem, and to date, several apps are exclusive to the Apple ecosystem. With Google offering more tools, this could encourage Apple developers to port their fitness apps to Wear OS or even improve the current experience. Google says it’s working with ASICS Runkeeper to bring some of these features to life. Most importantly, the company needs to offer developers the same tools it uses, as in Apple’s case, this usually makes me follow workouts with the main Workouts app, as some small perks, like workout rewards, are limited to the built-in experience, limiting not only my experience with third-party apps, but that of other users as well.

Last but not least, Google is revamping the system’s media controls in Wear OS 7. If you use an Apple Watch, you’ve probably realized how difficult it is to use the media controls on Apple’s watchOS. For example, you can (usually) get information about what’s playing from the Smart Stack, but once you tap it, there’s always a delay on what’s actually playing. If you want to connect third-party headphones or press the shuffle button in Apple Music, you need to press it several times to find this option. The whole Apple Music experience is also a mess, and trying to control multiple media sources on different devices just isn’t reliable.

To prevent this, Google says Wear OS 7 offers more control and a better experience to help users manage their media. For example, if YouTube Music is streaming on your Android phone, you can easily control the media options on your smartwatch as long as “Autoplay Settings” is enabled. The new remote output switch also makes it easier to control different outputs while listening to songs, so you can switch a song from your headphones to your phone, to the living room TV, or even to your bedroom speaker.

All features mentioned above are currently in beta, so they may differ slightly when they become available. Still, they look like big improvements for Google’s Wear OS and improve less-good or unavailable features compared to Apple’s watchOS 26.