Although Google dove deep into detail surrounding its newly-launched hardware, the company’s upcoming upgrade to its smartwatch platform — Wear OS 4 — didn’t even garner a second of stage time at I/O 2023. We do know that the successor to 2022’s Wear OS 3 will be based on Android 13 and will reach compatible Android wearables beginning sometime this fall. Additional resources published by Google from its I/O dev talks have revealed some other features coming to the platform, including improvements to Health Services and Health Connect.
A session posted to the Android Developers YouTube channel details a few of the changes coming to Google’s smartphone and smartwatch operating systems this year. The developer chat, titled “What’s new in Health on Android” talks about Health Connect (currently in beta) being baked into Android 14, as spotted by the folks at 9to5Google. It would be a “core part of Android,” Google says, rather than a standalone app as it is in its current state.
This means people should be able to access Health Connect directly from the Settings page on Android 14. Meanwhile, this service will also gain improved period tracking features with this fall’s big software release — a major focus for technology companies over the last several years.
Google further shared that Health Connect can get new features significantly faster as it’s bundled with Google Play System updates. There’s also a timetable for developers to migrate from Google Fit to Health Connect, with support for Google Fit Android APIs officially ending in late 2024.
Among the newly added Health Services features is the ability to increase the batching rate of fitness metrics, though it’s currently limited to heart rate data. This enables developers to adjust the delivery frequency of the data rather than have it delivered in periodic intervals when the screen is off.
Health Services will also be able to automatically detect the number of golf shots you take with Wear OS 4, although the feature would be limited to “supported devices.” Furthermore, compatible smartwatches running the platform will permit apps to detect the type of golf shot you’ve hit, applicable to both drives and putts. Google says it worked on this feature in partnership with Samsung.
Lastly, Wear OS 4 will introduce additional permissions for apps that access body sensors in the background. Google says this lets the end users stay in control of their data while giving devs the necessary data required to create “valuable experiences” for their audiences without compromising on battery life. You can check out the video below to learn about everything new in health tracking coming to Wear OS 4 and Android.
