Latest news with #WearOS
Phone Arena
20 hours ago
- Business
- Phone Arena
This Galaxy Watch 6 Classic deal is the kind of Wear OS bargain I wouldn't pass up
As a deal editor, I'm always on the lookout for amazing deals. And when I found this epic Galaxy Watch 6 Classic promo on the 43mm model, I just couldn't keep it to myself. Amazon has slashed the price by half, making this Galaxy Watch absolutely irresistible. $199 off (50%) The Galaxy Watch 6 Classic has a beautiful design, features a rotating bezel, and it's now half off at Amazon. The promo is only available on the Bluetooth-only smartwatch in Silver. Also, it might not stay live for long, so act fast and save big while it lasts. This offer is not available in your area. Since this is an older model, it's naturally seen many discounts in the past. But hear this: I haven't noticed a 50% price drop since the beginning of May. That means this is a rare chance to save big on a really premium Wear OS device that still holds its Samsung fans probably know, the new Galaxy Watch 8 Classic is already here, but it offers an upgraded design that might not be everyone's cup of tea. In contrast, the Watch 6 Classic keeps things traditional — and that's a big plus in my book. Call me old-fashioned, but I'm all about smartwatches that look like, well, course, it's not just the looks that I like here. This bad boy sports all sorts of useful features, including workout tracking and continuous heart rate measurements. I'm a casual workout person, so I don't really need the advanced stats of a Garmin watch. The truth is, this fella gives me all the fitness metrics I actually care about. You've got burned calories, personalized heart rate zones, auto workout tracking, and all the again, I can't deny it's really the price that won me over. While the Watch 8 Classic can set you back nearly $500 in its Bluetooth-only variant, this buddy is currently going for just about $200. That's $200 off its ~$400 original price! Overall, if I were to recommend a Wear OS smartwatch deal right now, this would definitely be it. Sure, it's not the most contemporary model, but it looks gorgeous and packs all sorts of features at half the price. Honestly, this is a deal you shouldn't ignore.
Android Authority
2 days ago
- Android Authority
Your Pixel Watch could soon give you the same backup freedom as your Android phone (APK teardown)
C. Scott Brown / Android Authority A man pressed the digital crown of his Google Pixel Watch 3. TL;DR Google could soon let Pixel Watch users manually trigger backups. We've found code evidence suggesting Pixel Watches could soon get a 'Backup now' button in Settings, possibly removing the current requirement of having the watch connected to a charger during the backup process. The option is similar to the Backup now setting you find on Android phones. Google seems to be working towards making Pixel Watch backups a little less annoying. Currently, if you want to back up your Pixel Watch, you have to ensure it's connected to Wi-Fi and placed on the charger. The watch will then automatically start the backup process if you've turned on the backup option in Settings or during setup. So as it stands, you have no manual control over when your watch is backed up, and the automatic process requires you to connect it to a charger. We've now found evidence suggesting Google might remove these restrictions. Authority Insights story on Android Authority. Discover You're reading anstory on Android Authority. Discover Authority Insights for more exclusive reports, app teardowns, leaks, and in-depth tech coverage you won't find anywhere else. An APK teardown helps predict features that may arrive on a service in the future based on work-in-progress code. However, it is possible that such predicted features may not make it to a public release. While sifting through the code in Google Play Services for Wear OS (version 25.28.34), we found a string referencing a new 'Backup now' option Google may be planning to add to Pixel Watches. The new option, likely presented as a button in the Pixel Watch settings when it goes live, is similar to the manual backup option on Android devices. That means you may soon be able to instantly trigger a backup on your Pixel Watch without waiting for the device to be idle and charging. Code Copy Text Backup now You might be wondering why only the Pixel Watch is expected to get the new backup option, while other Wear OS devices like Samsung's Galaxy Watch or the OnePlus Watch aren't. The reason is that Google Play Services doesn't support backups for all Wear OS watches. Samsung uses its own backup system via its companion apps, and OnePlus takes a similar approach through its OHealth app. So, the backup feature offered through Google Play Services appears to be specifically designed for Pixel Watches. Follow
Fox News
2 days ago
- Fox News
Your phone predicts an earthquake
I read a geeky article that I think you'll also find amazing. Google quietly used its Android operating system to turn billions of phones into the largest earthquake detection network in human history. Your Android phone can warn you about an earthquake before the shaking even starts. It's built right in. You can do the same with your iPhone, too. We're giving away a new iPhone 16 Pro (a $999 value). No purchase required. Enter to win now. Earthquakes begin with fast, subtle P-waves. Those are the early rumbles most people don't feel at all. But your phone's accelerometer (yep, the same sensor that knows when you turn your phone sideways) can detect those waves. When enough Android phones in the same area sense the same motion, Google's system kicks in and sends early alerts to people who are about to get hit by the stronger, slower S-waves. Those are the ones that cause damage. This gives you 15 to 60 seconds of warning. Not much time, but enough to move away from windows, duck under a desk or stop that ladder climb. Seconds matter when the ground starts rolling. According to a study in Science, the Android-based earthquake detection network caught over 11,000 real earthquakes between 2021 and 2024. It covers 98 countries and pushes out around 18 million alerts a month. In some cases, people had over a minute's notice before the shaking started. And false alarms? Just three total across more than 1,300 confirmed events. Try getting those odds from your weather app. That's incredible for a free feature hiding in your phone. Even if you don't live on the San Andreas Fault, make sure the setting is on in case you travel to an area where you need it: Got a Wear OS smartwatch? It'll buzz your wrist, too, even if your phone's in another room. Apple hasn't enrolled in Quake University (yet). Though iPhones have accelerometers, too, Apple doesn't use them for earthquake detection. If you're on Team iPhone, use the free MyShake to get alerts from official seismic networks. Award-winning host Kim Komando is your secret weapon for navigating tech. Copyright 2025, WestStar Multimedia Entertainment. All rights reserved.
Android Authority
3 days ago
- Android Authority
Love your new Galaxy Watch 8? Here's one setting you need to fix immediately
Joe Maring / Android Authority Samsung's Galaxy Watch 8 series officially hit store shelves last Friday, and from what we've seen so far, Samsung's newest wearables are likely among the best Wear OS watches you can buy this year. I've been wearing the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic for the last few days, and while I'm nowhere near ready to review it, my first impressions have been positive. I've long been a fan of Samsung smartwatches, particularly those with rotating bezels. As such, going back to that with the Watch 8 Classic has been an absolute treat. However, as much as I've enjoyed my time with the Watch 8 Classic so far, there's one issue that almost ruined my first day with it. If you have a Galaxy Watch 8 (either the regular model or the Classic one), there's a notification setting you'll want to fix immediately. What do you think about Samsung's default notification setting on the Galaxy Watch 8? 0 votes I like it. The fewer notifications, the better. NaN % I hate it! I want to see all my notifications by default. NaN % I don't care, it's an easy thing to change. NaN % Other (let us know in the comments). NaN % Where did all my notifications go? Joe Maring / Android Authority When I strapped on the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic last Friday, things were off to a great start. The watch was comfortable, the bezel was as satisfying as I had hoped it would be, and having six tiles on a single page felt like a cheat code. But after a couple of hours, I noticed something odd: I wasn't getting any notifications on the watch. I hadn't received a single Gmail notification or anything from Telegram — despite one of my group chats being particularly chatty. What did I do wrong? Then it hit me. For years now, Samsung has taken an infuriating approach to smartwatch notifications. By default, on the Galaxy Watch 8 (and other Samsung smartwatches), only a select few apps — such as Samsung Calendar, Google Messages, Reminder, and Assistant/Gemini — have notifications enabled. Meanwhile, notifications for all of your other applications are disabled. As such, when your phone receives notifications from WhatsApp, Slack, Threads, Google Tasks, or any other applications, your Galaxy Watch doesn't show you any of them. If you rely on your smartwatch to receive important notifications throughout the day, that can lead to a lot of missed messages, emails, etc. How to fix your Galaxy Watch 8 notifications Joe Maring / Android Authority Once I remembered this, I dug through the Samsung Wearable app on my Galaxy Z Flip 7 and found the settings I needed to enable these notifications on the Galaxy Watch 8. Thankfully, once you know where to look, getting it configured requires just a few taps: Open the Samsung Wearable app. Tap Watch settings. Tap Notifications. Tap App notifications. Scroll down to Phone apps. Tap Allow all or tap the toggles next to the apps you want to receive notifications from. All in all, it took about 30 seconds to do this, and my Galaxy Watch 8 Classic has since delivered all of my notifications as expected. But it really shouldn't be this way. Nowhere in the setup process for the Galaxy Watch 8 does Samsung let you know that the majority of your app notifications are disabled. At the very least, there should be a screen alerting you to this. But more importantly, Samsung needs to provide an option during setup that allows folks to choose which route they want to go: keep most of their notifications turned off, or allow all of them. It took me a while to remember this, and that's coming from someone who has reviewed Samsung wearables for over a decade. I know for a fact that my mom, or any other 'normal' user, would just assume something was broken when they noticed their watch wasn't showing all their notifications. I get the argument of notification overload and only wanting to allow a select few app notifications on your smartwatch. That said, blanket disabling almost everything right out of the gate is absolutely not the correct approach. C. Scott Brown / Android Authority For all the things Samsung is getting right with the Galaxy Watch 8 series, it's frustrating that something as simple as notifications continues to be bungled year after year. This doesn't have to be an issue, and the more it persists with Samsung's smartwatches, the more annoying it gets. Follow
Phone Arena
3 days ago
- Phone Arena
Google Messages is getting a bold new look on smartwatches
Google is continuing its slow rollout of the Material 3 Expressive design language across its apps, and its latest stop is Wear OS. The Google Messages app on smartwatches is now showing signs of a visual refresh, first spotted by a Telegram user on a Pixel Watch 3. The update brings visual elements that align closely with Material 3 Expressive: message bubbles now have subtle tints, buttons are filled with color, and interface shapes suggest more fluid interactions. Some list options now feature buttons with both icons and text, while others are shaped to hint at their scrollable behavior. It's not clear yet how widely the redesign is being distributed. While some users on the latest version of Google Messages are already seeing the changes, others are not, which points to a server-side rollout. It may also be limited to specific hardware like the Pixel Watch 3 or newer Wear OS devices. Material 3 Expressive in the Google Messages Wear OS app. | Images credit — Android Authority Material 3 Expressive has also been expanding across Android phones and tablets. On smartphones, Google Messages is testing the same redesign, but only for beta users. The Google Keep app was recently updated with a thicker search bar and slightly larger icons. Google Phone also received a refresh, featuring rounded cards, a new dialer, and updated gesture controls. Google's Material 3 Expressive rollout mirrors Apple's own shift with its Liquid Glass UI in iOS 26 and watchOS 26. While Apple is focusing on fluid transitions and the transparent aesthetic to give its software a more futuristic feel, Google's approach leans more into customizable shapes and vibrant color accents. Both companies are clearly trying to break out of flat design—but Google's rollout has been slower, staggered across platforms and devices, whereas Apple's updates throughout this beta period has been more unified across iPhones, iPads, and Apple Watches. Staggered rollouts, such as how Google usually does them, can be frustrating. Users running the latest software may not see the redesign immediately, which raises questions about the consistency of Google's software updates across Wear OS. That said, these types of server-side experiments often serve as final validation before a broader release. That said, this is a step forward for Wear OS. While not a game-changer, the update reflects Google's continued investment in wearable software design, even as competition from Samsung's One UI Watch and Apple's watchOS remains strong. For users already in Google's ecosystem, the growing presence of Material 3 Expressive is bringing a more cohesive visual experience across platforms.
