Google Taps Samsung for Co-Develop Wear OS, Fitbit to Debut New Smartwatches

Another major reason Google stays behind in smartwatch competitions is its lack of healthcare. In recent years, Apple has increased its electrocardiogram (ECG) and blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) levels in its subsidiaries, with rumors suggesting blood tests will be the next phase of new health in the upcoming Series 7 Smartwatch.

But Google now has Fitbit, and is developing the most reliable technology in the region to use. Your next Google smartwatch will come with a wide range of features available on Fitbit devices right now, such as health tracking and fitness tracking, as well as hand-held boosts. Fitbit will also develop future Wear smartwatches.

However, substances such as ECG and SpO2 do not cook in Wear natively. Kilburn states: “Any activity like ECG should be active for the manufacturer,” and we have helped them bring new products to market, as they would have been established. “Both Samsung and Fitbit provide compliance for SpO2 and ECG pre-existing watches, then it is possible (though not confirmed) that the function will still be available when their Wear previews later.

Kilburn also said that Google has also worked with Fitbit (and Samsung) to re-establish the health and fitness base for Wear to keep track of trends, as well as to make it easier for developers to assemble and implement what they follow. “In the past, they had to go all over the place to collect various data, but we are including them all for use.”

Since the Fitbit app is also available on Wear, Wear smartwatch owners can choose to use the Fitbit app or Google Fit to track performance results. Kilburn could not comment on the future, but says anyone who chooses the Fitbit Wear smartwatch will “continue to have a great deal of knowledge” with Fitbit.

As for Wear’s future updates, Kilburn did not say whether Google would follow the annual updates as it does with Android, or how Apple releases a new version of watchOS every year. Instead, anticipate frequent changes.

Play Catch Up

It should be noted that the fact that Google announced its closure of Fitbit purchases in January following a European Union antitrust approval – the fact that Google cannot use Fitbit users’ health information to advertise and discriminate between Fitbit data and Google – does not mean that the U.S. Department of Justice has just signed .

A Google spokesman said it followed the department’s review and “the time when the trust expired ended without a hitch,” but the DOJ’s review continued, and there are testing tools that can be used if it finds that the purchase is hurting competition.

However, although it has been seven years since Google launched its smartwatch platform, the company has little to show for it. By the fourth quarter of 2020, Wear OS accounts for 2.7 percent of the market, according to the monitoring company Criticism Research. Apple saw a 19 percent increase in global smartwatch sales at the same time and now controls 40% of the market share. Samsung jumped 10% on the market, and Fitbit had stabilized at 7%. Google now has 7%, but still wants Samsung to expand the Wear platform.

“Obviously Apple is in control, but Samsung is the second player,” said Jeff Fieldhack, managing director of Counterpoint Research. “He is known by the name. They sell with the most connected devices, which is what happens – cell connectivity. With a modem in it, you can have a standalone device and not need a friend’s cell phone. ”