Wear OS
Sign in to saveAlso known as Android Wear
version of Google's Android operating system for wearable devices
Key facts
- Developer
- Written in
- C (core) , C++ , Java
- Os family
- Android ( Unix-like )
- Working state
- Current
- Source model
- Closed-source
- Initial release
- March 18, 2014 ; 12 years ago ( 2014-03-18 )
- Latest release
- Wear OS 6.1 (based on Android 16 ) / 9 December 2025 ; 6 months ago ( 2025-12-09 )
- Marketing target
- Smartwatches
- Update method
- Over-the-air or phone companion app
- Package manager
- APK via Google Play
- Supported platforms
- 32-bit ARM , x86
- Kernel type
- Monolithic ( modified Linux kernel )
- Userland
- Bionic libc , shell from NetBSD , native core utilities with a few from NetBSD
- Influenced by
- Android
- Default user interface
- Graphical ( Multi-touch )
- License
- Proprietary
- Official website
- wearos .google .com
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Subclass of
- Android
- Official name
- Wear OS
- Developer
- Platform
- x86
- Official website
- wearos.google.com
- Image
- Google Pixel Watch 2, shown in Shibuya Stream.jpg
Show 11 more facts
- publication date
- 2014-03-18
- Commons category
- Wear OS
- official blog URL
- blog.google/products/wear-os
- programmed in
- Java
- copyright license
- Apache License
- language of work or name
- English language
- software version identifier
- 6.1
- topic's main category
- Category:Wear OS
- social media followers
- 68452
- distributed by
- Google Play
- Stack Exchange tag
- stackoverflow.com/tags/wear-os
via Wikidata · CC0
~10 min read
Encyclopedic overview
Wear OS (formerly Android Wear) is a closed-source Android distribution designed for smartwatches and other wearable computers, developed by Google. Wear OS is designed to pair with mobile phones running Android (version 6.0 "Marshmallow" or newer) or iOS (version 10.0 or newer), providing mobile notifications into a smartwatch form factor and integration with the Google Assistant technology.
Wear OS supports Bluetooth, NFC, Wi-Fi, 3G, 4G, and LTE connectivity, as well as a range of features and applications provided through Google Play. Watch face styles include round, square and rectangular. Hardware manufacturing partners include Asus, Broadcom, Fossil, HTC, Intel, LG, MediaTek, Imagination Technologies, Motorola, OnePlus, Google, New Balance, Xiaomi, Qualcomm, Samsung, Huawei, Skagen, Polar, TAG Heuer, Suunto, and Mobvoi.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Wear OS” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.