Google Announces Wear OS 7, Smartwatch Battery Claimed to Last Longer

Google officially announced its latest smartwatch operating system, Wear OS 7, at Google I/O 2026 this week. Wear OS 7 is the successor to Wear OS 6, built on the Android 17 base. In this new generation, Google claims to have optimised the system so that the battery life of Wear OS 7 smartwatches is around 10 percent longer-lasting than devices running Wear OS 6. In addition to improved battery life, Wear OS 7 brings a number of new features, including Widgets. This feature allows users to display information and app shortcuts directly on the smartwatch screen. Google says the widgets in Wear OS 7 are now designed to be more flexible and dynamic. The formats are similar to widgets on Android phones, and the widgets are available in 2x1 and 2x2 layouts. There is also a feature called Wear Workout Tracker. This feature is designed to deliver a more standard and consistent exercise tracking experience across fitness apps. On the media control side, Google enhances system settings with the introduction of separate media controls, as well as a Remote Output Switcher to facilitate switching audio output. Other updates in Wear OS 7 include support for Watch Face Format v5, which enables developers to create watch faces with further personalization. In addition to the features above, Google also announced that Wear OS 7 will be equipped with Gemini AI features. However, the feature is not yet present and is expected to be integrated into certain smartwatch models launching around the end of this year. The Gemini integration is said to bring a more advanced and agentic AI experience on wearable devices. Google also confirms that task automation features will be available on Wear OS 7 smartwatches. For example, users may later use voice commands to perform certain actions, such as ordering food via a food delivery app. As summarised by KompasTekno from GSMArena, Wear OS 7 is already accessible to developers via the Wear OS 7 Canary Emulator. The final version of Wear OS 7 is scheduled to officially launch to all users around the end of this year.