Leaving your phone at home might become a viable option with this
Google finally gave its wearable initiative some much needed love when it released Wear OS 3 in close collaboration with Samsung, only to then launch its very own Google Pixel Watch in 2022. The company also gave some of its own Wear OS apps new attention, including a revamped Google Keep app and a brand-new weather app. Google appears to have even bigger plans, though. A report suggests that the company is working on bringing Gmail and Google Calendar to your wrist.
Sources told 9to5Google that Google is currently testing Gmail and Calendar for Wear OS internally. The publication says that the experience is supposed to be “full,” though it’s not clear what exactly this means for a Wear OS app. 9to5Google does claim that the tests are taking place on a Pixel Watch, which makes sense given that this is Google’s first-party hardware.
Right now, Gmail and Calendar are somewhat limited on your smartwatch. Gmail fully relies on notifications to work, so it’s only possible to archive and delete emails or reply to them. Once you get rid of your mail notifications, you can no longer interact with them, and there is no way to view your full inbox on your watch for the lack of a dedicated app. Calendar is similarly limited. It only allows you to view your agenda, with no option to see a full month or week on your smartwatch.
Google competitors offer more advanced apps already. Microsoft Outlook and Samsung’s own Galaxy Watch calendar app let you view your inbox and weeks and months.
Given that Gmail and Calendar Wear OS apps only exist as rumors right now, it’s possible that the release is still a long time away—and there is always the option that Google decides to scratch the experiment and focus on other improvements to the Wear OS platform. Given that the company is now in the race for providing the best experience on its own hardware smartwatch, it would be surprising if the company would scratch a high-profile project like this, though.
