Android Wear is now Wear OS by Google

Google has rebranded its smartwatch platform from Android Wear to Wear OS. The new name is officially written as ‘Wear OS by Google,’ as seen on The Keyword.

While the name change does remind me (and probably you, too) of Apple’s watchOS, it has quite a reason to get a new name — Wear OS, especially. The company brought Android Wear (or now Wear OS) to iOS back in 2015. But the Android Wear name couldn’t define the platform’s iOS capabilities and made the platform look like an Android-only deal, which is not the case now. Therefore, Wear OS by Google is a reasonable move.

As our technology and partnerships have evolved, so have our users. In 2017, one out of three new Android Wear watch owners also used an iPhone. So as the watch industry gears up for another Baselworld next week, we’re announcing a new name that better reflects our technology, vision, and most important of all—the people who wear our watches. We’re now Wear OS by Google, a wearables operating system for everyone.

No major changes are due anytime soon expect the new logo and name, which will be rolling out to Wear OS smartwatches and phone app over the next few weeks. For now, it’s just a name and logo change, but be sure to check if Google or any of its partners reveals something new for Wear OS at Baselworld 2018 in Switzerland next week.