Google Updates Wear OS To Support Faster Payments

Alphabet’s Google released on Thursday (July 26) its Android P Developer Beta 5, as the company moves closer to rolling out the release of its mobile operating system, reported BGR.

According to the report, in addition to working on the Android release, Google is also updating Wear OS, its operating system for wearable devices. In the latter update, BGR reported that Wear OS, which will be launched in Google Pay, will provide more features to wearable devices, including faster payments and the ability to glance at the screen to see events and appointments.

While BGR said the updates aren’t anything major, they do show that Google is still on board with the Wear OS, despite it losing a lot of its luster. In March, Google announced it was a “wearables operating system for everyone” that will work for both Android and iPhone users.

“Android Wear was founded on the belief that wearable technology should be for everyone, no matter what style you wear on your wrist or what phone you have in your pocket,” wrote Dennis Troper, director of product management, Wear OS by Google, in a blog post. “Since then, we’ve partnered with top watch and electronics brands to create more than 50 watches to help you manage your fitness, connect with the people who matter most and show you the information you care about. The best part: We’re just scratching the surface of what’s possible with wearables, and there’s even more exciting work ahead.”

Troper added that as of last year, one out of three new Android Wear watch owners also used an iPhone, which prompted the company to launch Wear OS. Customers would start to see the new name on their watch and phone app over the following few weeks, Google said at the time.