If you’re a fan of the wearables industry, you may have noticed that some big names have stopped releasing new Wear OS smartwatches. This was caused by a change in the handling of health data in Wear OS 3.0. Now, a new partnership between Google and Masimo could bring them back into the Wear OS ecosystem.
Google and Masimo partnership will offer “reference platforms” to Wear OS brands
A little over three years ago, Google and Samsung announced Wear OS 3.0 as a “merger” of Wear OS and Tizen. The result brought several performance improvements, a bit more battery life, and new features. It all seemed like a win-win for the user, but the update also required additional work and investment from manufacturers. Wear OS 3.0 began to require smartwatch brands to have their own platform or app to manage health data. This caused names like Fossil to stop releasing new wearables under the ecosystem. Now, devices like the Pixel Watch 3, Galaxy Watch 7, and Galaxy Watch Ultra seem to be the main faces in the segment.
That said, the recently announced Google and Masimo partnership would bring more variety to the Wear OS ecosystem. The deal results in Masimo, a company specializing in medical-grade health monitoring devices, offering a “reference platform” that other smartwatch manufacturers can use. This includes both underlying hardware (health sensors) and a smartphone app. Manufacturers will also have access to Masimo’s advanced health monitoring technologies.
Interested manufacturers will still be able to customize their device’s design, OS, and more. However, they will no longer have to invest in developing an entire health data management platform or their own health monitoring technologies from scratch. The partnership would also encourage other brands to enter the Wear OS ecosystem for the first time.
The Masimo W1 Sport will be the first reference platform
The Masimo W1 Sport is currently the reference platform. This device is so focused on professional health tracking that it doesn’t offer typical smartwatch features. That is, you won’t find phone notification management, apps, or music playback control. However, that’s not relevant, as interested brands will have access to key health tracking components and a mobile app.
As Masimo gets closer to Google, it also takes on Apple. The company has been in legal disputes with the Cupertino giant over patent issues. Masimo accuses Apple of violating patents for blood oxygen tracking technology in Apple Watches. Masimo was willing to reach a licensing deal with Apple to resolve the dispute. However, it seems that the terms did not please Apple, who simply disabled the feature on its latest Apple Watch models. In fact, that’s why the latest Apple Watch Series 10 doesn’t support blood oxygen tracking.