Google has announced that it is changing the name of its smartwatch operating system. The mobile development platform previously known as Android Wear will now be called Wear OS.
“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,” Google’s Dennis Tropper said in a blog post. “You’ll begin to see the new name on your watch and phone app over the next few weeks.”
Observers say it’s likely that Google made the change in order to attract more iPhone owners. The company says that one out of three people who use smartwatches based on its platform pair them with an iPhone rather than an Android device. The new branding could make it more clear that the watches work with both major mobile operating systems.
