Google's Wear Os set for revival with Masimo partnership

Google is not slowing down in developing its operating system for smartwatches, Wear OS. The new collaboration with Masimo may signal the return of greater market diversity, prompting manufacturers like Fossil to offer their models again. Will the new strategy work?

The world of smartwatch technology is constantly evolving, and Google plays a key role in it. Although in recent years the diversity of models with the Wear OS system has significantly decreased, the company continues to search for new solutions. The collaboration with Masimo – a leader in health monitoring technology – could bring a breakthrough. Will new devices based on Wear OS be diverse and functional enough to compete with the biggest players in the market?

Google has long been trying to capture the smartwatch market, and Wear OS is their key proposal in this field. The operating system created specifically for watches was supposed to compete with giants like the Apple and Samsung Galaxy Watch. However, over time, changes were inevitable after the introduction of Wear OS 3 in 2021. Collaboration with Samsung altered the landscape of smartwatch technology, leading many manufacturers, including Fossil, to stop developing devices running on this system.

A key change with the newer versions of Wear OS was the transfer of health functions from Google Fit to Fitbit. This meant that manufacturers who previously relied on Google Fit had to look for alternative solutions, reducing the diversity of available smartwatch models. Now, Google has a new plan: to collaborate with Masimo, which specializes in health technologies. This could enable new, more diverse models of watches operating on Wear OS to appear in the market.

The smartwatch market with the Wear OS system has been significantly limited in recent years. The primary reason was the introduction of changes in health monitoring and Google's focus on collaboration with Fitbit. Manufacturers like Fossil could not keep up with these changes, leading to a reduction in the number of available models.

However, the new collaboration between Google and Masimo may breathe new life into the Wear OS ecosystem. Masimo, specializing in advanced health monitoring technologies, plans to provide hardware and software for smartwatch manufacturers. This may allow brands like Fossil to return to the market, offering users a wide range of models based on the Wear OS platform. This partnership will enable integration with health monitoring tools at a level comparable to the best on the market, which could satisfy both manufacturers and users.

Therefore, there is hope for greater diversity in the smartwatch market, with new models that can compete with the biggest players in the industry, such as Apple and Samsung.