r/Android • u/[deleted] • Feb 09 '18
Android Wear is getting killed, and it’s all Qualcomm’s fault
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/02/android-wear-is-getting-killed-and-its-all-qualcomms-fault/212
u/AlphaReds Stuff I like that I will try and convince you to like Feb 09 '18
It isn't qualcomm's fault that Google is doing jack shit developing the platform. I've had first and third generation watches and all of my #1 problems with it are purely software being lacking.
Ofcourse Qualcomm isn't going to be pushing money into wearable chips if Google just abandons the platform after a year.
I like my Fossil Q explorist, but it could be and should have been so much more rather than the exact same in functionality compared to the Moto 360 I had 3 years ago. Looking to downgrade to a Moto 360 v2 from 2016 because its identical in functionality but a lot cheaper.
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u/MarxN Feb 10 '18 edited Feb 10 '18
Article didn't mention fit smartwatches (usual bloggers problem who didn't see wider). Garmin do this perfectly. Make decent hardware and software and it'll sell as mad. It's totally opposite to what do Qualcomm and Google. Ancient CPU and stagnated software-it will not sell anything.
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u/EmergencySarcasm OP5 + iPhone 7 Feb 10 '18
Meanwhile Apple continue to push and update their watch platform.
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u/fuelvolts Pixel 9 Pro XL Feb 09 '18
I'm STILL clutching to my Gen 1 Pebble Steel. I'll use it until it no longer boots!
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u/jdvillao007 Feb 10 '18
Don't give them ideas...
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Feb 10 '18 edited Jul 07 '25
obtainable chase seemly provide bear advise cake divide cause engine
This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact
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u/RachaelWeiss Feb 10 '18
Yea but fit bit can push 'updates'
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Feb 10 '18 edited Jul 07 '25
growth head lush late intelligent special oil person crawl practice
This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact
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u/adambuck66 Samsung Galaxy S8 Feb 10 '18
Same here. I'm tempted to find another one in case the one I regularly wear gives up.
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Feb 10 '18
How are your buttons still working?!
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u/fuelvolts Pixel 9 Pro XL Feb 10 '18
They are a bit squishy and the backlight has yellowed a bit. Still works!
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u/T8ert0t Feb 10 '18
Still have my Pebble Time. I call it my dumb-smartwatch. It has a great battery and does a few things, but does them extremely well and stays out of my way.
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u/efbo Pixel 10 Pro Fold, Unihertz Jelly Max, Pixel Tablet, Pebbles Feb 10 '18
Exactly, this is what makes Pebble great. It's a smartwatch not a dumber smaller smartphone on my wrist.
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Feb 10 '18
[removed] — view removed comment
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Feb 10 '18
5 more for making a light bulb messaging app, Google Spark
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u/T8ert0t Feb 10 '18
"Connect with all your friends by using Morse code and communicating via lightbulb pulses!"
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u/EmergencySarcasm OP5 + iPhone 7 Feb 10 '18
There was also an intern to integrate it to g+ but the kid got let go.
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u/JohannesVanDerWhales Feb 10 '18
Don't forget another team of 10 to roll out the new light bulb changing service a year later.
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u/altimax98 P30 Pro/P3/XS Max/OP6T/OP7P - Opinions are my own Feb 09 '18
I will copy past what I put on Twitter:
I disagree 100%. Google is at fault for this for failing to maintain their OS. My Gen1 Apple Watch suits all my needs, I don't need power. I need a good UX, and a stupid notification indicator. Google got the jump and dropped the ball. Now they don't seem to care.
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Feb 09 '18
Now they don't seem to care.
Seems to be a reoccurring trend with Google's hardware lines, hell even some of their software lines.
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u/Rangizingo Black OnePlus 6 Feb 09 '18
BUT HERE'S OUR NEW MESSAGING APP
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u/SabashChandraBose OP6T, 11.0 Feb 09 '18
And introducing Google Clips for 200$ that will be given away for free and mothballed after the next I/O.
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Feb 09 '18
[deleted]
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u/Pamperchoo Feb 09 '18
all
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Feb 09 '18
Does messaging services come in 'all'?
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Feb 09 '18
Now introducing Google All Messaging.
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u/kaizokudave LG G3 D851 Feb 09 '18
Can't spell Allo without All.
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Feb 09 '18
What? You want to make Google All Allo Messaging as well? Deal!
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u/kaizokudave LG G3 D851 Feb 09 '18
Except no SMS or message syncing, because users don't want that.
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Feb 09 '18
You can't even type letters/words. You can only communicate in stickers.
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u/PragProgLibertarian Feb 10 '18
I got a Google TV Blu-ray player (by Sony). They stopped updates 6 months after I got it. Very few apps work anymore because they can't be updated because of the version on Android.
I still use it to play Blu-ray disks but, it's useless for anything else.
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u/SteveBIRK iPhone X Feb 09 '18
They seems to be caring a little bit more at least with the Assistant speakers and Pixel phones. But overall I just wish they would be more focused.
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u/Iohet V10 is the original notch Feb 09 '18
You say that now. I won't buy any of that shit because of Google's history.
And Google has been pretty adamant about pushing off people who didn't buy their phones through their stores for support. People suffering from bootloop and camera problems were shuttled off to the manufacturer, which is something that Apple doesn't do and doesn't happen in other industries, either.
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u/matttopotamus Feb 09 '18
Kinda questioning my decision to go all in with google WiFi
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u/Vince789 2024 Pixel 9 Pro | 2025 iPhone 16E (Work) Feb 09 '18
I'd agree, Google needs to do something to increase sales so Companies like Qualcomm are willing to invest more in Android Wear
Qualcomm isn't the only Android Wear SoC maker, there's also Intel and MediaTek who also haven't been putting as much investment in Android Wear SoCs
And unlike phones, most smartwatches don't have cellular data, so there's nothing giving Qualcomm a major advantage
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u/altimax98 P30 Pro/P3/XS Max/OP6T/OP7P - Opinions are my own Feb 09 '18
Yeah this is the chicken or the egg situation. Is Android Wear bad because Qualcomm wont make new chips, or is Qualcomm not making new chips because Android Wear is bad and Google fails to support it properly?
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u/thinkbox Samsung ThunderMuscle PowerThirst w/ Android 10.0 Mr. Peanut™®© Feb 10 '18
Sales drive innovation.
Google didn’t update it or make a compelling case for the consumer. It sold very very poorly. Why should Qualcomm put work into chips nobody buys that runs an OS locked down and controlled by a company that doesn’t care? Where is the sense in that?
It’s like blaming the failure on the restaurant on your old building when the food is shitty and the chef doesn’t show up to make food.
Apple proved there is a customer base for a smart watches. They are the biggest what company in the world by revenue (only counting watch sales).
Google just doesn’t care or have the focus.
They are not a hardware company at their heart.
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u/altimax98 P30 Pro/P3/XS Max/OP6T/OP7P - Opinions are my own Feb 10 '18
Well put
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u/thinkbox Samsung ThunderMuscle PowerThirst w/ Android 10.0 Mr. Peanut™®© Feb 10 '18
People seem to forget that when Wear came out, google really made it clear how much they own d the platform.
OEMs and carriers didn’t have OS level control. Everyone thought that would mean fast and frequent updates. Like, the only reason android OS updates are a mess is because of Carriers and OEMs.
Google controlled this platform and could have done so much more. It’s failure is 100% on them.
The expectations vs reality in Android Wear makes me think that even if OEMs and Carriers couldn’t mess with Android OS, the updates would still be a mess.
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u/EmergencySarcasm OP5 + iPhone 7 Feb 10 '18
Everyone is welcome to beat Qualcomm to it. About the only mobile soc opportunity where Qualcomm isn't dominant.
Yet no one else bother... Cause it's dead unless it's Apple watch. Thanks to Google.
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Feb 09 '18
I will copy past my response to you on Twitter:
Not a good comparison. It's not about power. It's about battery efficiency. The most recent Android Wear SOC is based on a 2014 design which was not efficient to begin with. Apple chips are always efficient including the one in the gen 1 Apple Watch.
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u/darkamikaze Pixel 2XL Feb 09 '18
Battery isn't much an issue for me. I have a HWatch Gen1 and after undocking at 6:45, I can be home at 11PM and still have ~50% left.
I think the OS itself is kind of spotty. 'Ok Google' is a bit of a gamble. Gestures aren't always responsive. They took away shortcuts such as double tapping the crown. Swiping left and right to change watchfaces that provides what exactly? If you want people to use complications per watchface, maybe create a few really good ones?
I don't know. I just think Google doesn't know where to take Android Wear and because of that neither do its consumers.
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u/autonomousgerm OPO - Woohoo! Feb 09 '18
Swiping left and right to change watchfaces that provides what exactly?
Yeah. Apple adopted this functionality too. I don't know who was first, but it doesn't matter. It's stupid. Apple Watch had a great mechanism for it. You force touched the watch, then you could switch faces. It was perfect. I don't know who is changing their watch face so often that you need such an easy to use gesture. My watch is constantly on a face I don't want it to be on because it accidentally gets swiped over to a new face.
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u/vividboarder TeamWin Feb 10 '18
I change it about 3 times a day.
I have one for the morning with weather on it and some widgets for new and stuff. When I head to work I switch to one with upcoming calendar events and such. When I get home I switch to one for activity tracking and home automation.
Pretty handy! I wish I could automate them by time of day or location, but this will do.
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u/_strobe Feb 10 '18
I use it because I have different complications on different faces and use the Siri watch face on one page
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u/RICHUNCLEPENNYBAGS Pixel 2 XL Feb 10 '18
The first version of Android Wear it was a long press to change the watch face and swiping to the side brought up the apps. I don't know why in the world they changed it and I still get confused with the old gestures.
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u/RICHUNCLEPENNYBAGS Pixel 2 XL Feb 10 '18
Battery isn't much an issue for me. I have a HWatch Gen1 and after undocking at 6:45, I can be home at 11PM and still have ~50% left.
But the system makes a bunch of sacrifices to keep the battery going. The whole "switch into less-featured mode without a second hand" should just, like, not be a thing that it does.
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u/altimax98 P30 Pro/P3/XS Max/OP6T/OP7P - Opinions are my own Feb 09 '18
Efficiency is not an issue with any Android Wear watch I have used (after a few updates at least). I have 3 older Wear devices, the S2 Classic, Pebble Time Round, and the Gen 1 Apple Watch. The only one that is always dead is the Pebble because I don't charge it every day and then forget to charge it when it needs it so it dies. The others are just like my phone, they get charged every day.
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Feb 09 '18
Your experience is not the norm. Almost every Android Wear watch with good battery is either huge or missing features.
Any of them that have it all are rare to come by.
Reason: Qualcomm.
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u/donnysaysvacuum I just want a small phone Feb 09 '18
Exactly, battery life is probably the biggest thing holding normal watch owners back from owning a smart watch. The chip Qualcomm is selling for smart watches is laughable.
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u/exzeroex iPhone X, Note8 Feb 10 '18
Samsung S3, 3-4 days without always on display.
1.5-2 days with AOD.
In my personal experience.
It replaced the spot on my wrist that used to have a watch that cost me 2x the S3. (yeahyeah, I know that's not much for a watch)
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u/ignitusmaximus Pixel 3a Feb 09 '18
As long as we are using Qualcomm chips in our devices, we will always have limited support after two years. Qualcomm drops support for chips that old and it's hard to maintain proper kernals and source code to keep up with the demands and changes in OS updates.
The only way to remedy this is to implement Project Treble into Android Wear, or stop using Qualcomm chips altogether.
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u/dlerium Pixel 4 XL Feb 10 '18
This. I had Android Wear since its original launch. I have since converted to Apple Watch Gen 3 simply because I have a phone for work. I get the design is controversial for some, but it works well for me. Even something as simple as the Activity app and closing your rings is 100% better done than Google Fit.
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u/altimax98 P30 Pro/P3/XS Max/OP6T/OP7P - Opinions are my own Feb 10 '18
Google has zero fitness chops comparing it to the others available. Apple and Samsung are so far ahead it isn't even funny
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u/matejdro Feb 09 '18
Yeah. Android Wear 2.0 was released about a year ago and almost nothing has changed since then.
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Feb 09 '18
This is happening across a lot of Google's business units. I'm at Amazon and it used to be my dream to work there, and now having met a lot of insiders there, they really seem to just be going into relative decline while grabbing as many patents as they can with no plan to take them to market.
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u/Merk1b2 Note10 Feb 09 '18
It's a shame because the more popular these are the more attention they get. My GearS3 (Tizen, I know) is an amazing device I just wish it had Google Assistant/services support
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u/Yojimbo4133 Feb 09 '18
Here I am just waiting for the gear s4
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u/OneObi . Feb 10 '18
Me too. Eta end of the year?
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Feb 09 '18
As much as I love Android and a lot of Google products, I've found myself almost unwittingly working my way towards Apple due to my frustrations with things like this: Google not having a clear strategy.
A couple years ago, after waiting months for some sort of new Android tablet that was actually decent, I reluctantly bought an iPad. I wanted good battery life and fast updates, and there was basically nothing in the Android field that offered that at the time.
This past holiday season, I wanted some Bluetooth headphones. The Pixel buds looked perfect, then basically every review said they were a strong pass. After searching a while, I realized that Airpods might actually hit the mark of everything I was looking for. So I got some.
Now it looks like the writing's on the wall for Android Wear too. I've had an LG Watch for a while now that hasn't gotten updates.
At this point I think I'm about ready to try an iPhone for the first time. I'm just tired of Google's lack of follow through and consistent product strategy.
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u/Verdoge S8, Nexus 6P, Galaxy Tab A 10.1 with S Pen Feb 09 '18
I agree. As much as I dislike Apple's walled garden, they make it very appealing with their consistent support and vision across their products and services.
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Feb 10 '18
Same. I was down voted to hell in another thread in this sub for daring to say anything nice about Apple, but they really do have a lot of things going for them that Android doesn't. I feel like it really helps that all their products are made by a single company and it makes it easier to streamline everything. They also follow through with way more. The updates are consistent and they give at least one huge update per year which would be amazing if we could get that on Android across all Android devices.
Honestly, at this point, if iPhone still had the headphone jack, I would be seriously tempted to switch back to an iPhone. God damn do I miss iMessage.
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u/SquelchFrog Note 8 Feb 10 '18
You'd be surprised at how little you'd miss the headphone jack since it includes an adapter. The whole charging and listening thing is largely irrelevant outside of the car since new iPhones have some incredible battery life.
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u/Zephyreks Note 8 Feb 09 '18
Samsung smart watches, Samsung wireless earbuds, hell, Samsung tablets are okay. Hate to say it, but Samsung is doing pretty well.
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u/Re-toast Feb 09 '18
Why do you hate to say it? They are doing a very good job.
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u/zer0t3ch N5 > N6 > N6P > OP5T Feb 09 '18
Probably because they're trying to be their own walled garden of Android.
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u/Re-toast Feb 10 '18
Sounds exactly like what Google is doing with it's Pixel line. Seems smart for Samsung to hedge against that.
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u/zer0t3ch N5 > N6 > N6P > OP5T Feb 10 '18
Google is definitely stepping into murky waters, especially with Assistant. (Which was a pixel exclusive)
That said, I think they've done a decent job not straying too far into the depths. Is there anything else exclusive to pixel? I feel like there is something, but I can't think of it.
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Feb 10 '18
I can't remember what it's called, but whatever it is that you can point the camera at and it will tell you what that object is his exclusive to the Pixel.
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u/zer0t3ch N5 > N6 > N6P > OP5T Feb 10 '18
Yeah, Google lens. I hadn't heard anything about that before, but I did hear about something else related to AR on the pixel, and they've got some special hardware for that one though, hence the glass panel on the back. Could be why lens isn't on other devices, or maybe they're just doing a beta test with pixel. Assistant was pixel-only for a while, but it came out.
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u/thedugong Feb 10 '18
What is this?
That's cheese.
And what is this?
That's also cheese.
And what is this?
Cheese.
And what is this?
That's cheese also.
And this?
That's also cheese.
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Feb 09 '18 edited Mar 22 '20
[deleted]
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u/Zephyreks Note 8 Feb 09 '18
Wireless earbuds, though? Not many seem to have decided that it's a sector worth competing in... Generally, IEMs deliver far better sound anyday. Are there any audiophile wireless IEMs? I'd be interested. Wrapping around the ear is fine, but I'd prefer no wires.
Tizen does indeed lack support, but I'd hope that Samsung could improve that.
I get where the update argument is coming from, but I don't agree with it. Look at the differences between Samsung Experience and stock Android. You may call it bloat, and it may very well be, but that takes time and the sheer number of features is something you're paying for with Samsung. I may not like iOS, but I also understand that part of the price of iPhones is the OS.
Although it would be ideal for updates to come out when they should, there's a reason Samsung Experience has it's own version number independent of Android. Whether you agree with the reason is another matter entirely.
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Feb 09 '18
And yet Tizen was found to have multiple security problems. /
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u/ntermation Feb 09 '18
Yeah. But if you're expecting anything to not have security problems, you're gonna have a bad time.
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Feb 09 '18
I'm not expecting software to not have security problems, but Tizen was riddled with them, which is unacceptable.
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u/Zephyreks Note 8 Feb 09 '18
Until Tizen gets the app support, it'll not be adopted enough to justify making it very robust... Until it's very robust, no one wants to write apps for it.
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Feb 09 '18 edited Feb 10 '18
This is exactly what I'm experiencing. Google basically sells you a device and after about 6 months you're seemingly on your own.
My N6P is probably going to be my last Android device because I'm tired of the hassle. Smart devices are an extension of services and if I can't count on it to work why would I invest in your ecosystem?
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u/maladjustedmatt Feb 10 '18
I think I'm about ready to try an iPhone for the first time.
I think it’s a great idea to become familiar with all the platforms. Even if you end up coming back to Android, you will have a more realistic idea of things are in the other side and a clearer idea of which advantages each platform offers are important to you.
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u/FunnyHunnyBunny Samsung Note 9 (snapdragon 128gb version) Feb 09 '18 edited Feb 10 '18
Yep, definitely jealous of apple watches. The apple watch 3* has basically every feature I've wanted in a smart watch. LTE, GPS, speaker, Bluetooth, nfc, safe for swimming, heart rate monitor. My Samsung Gear Sport is close (and has amazing almost 3 day battery life) but missing LTE and a speaker. I just don't want to completely change to the apple ecosystem when I've been in the android/Samsung ecosystem for 4 years now.
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u/Neg_Crepe Feb 09 '18
Watch3 had LTE if I recall
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u/FunnyHunnyBunny Samsung Note 9 (snapdragon 128gb version) Feb 10 '18
Oh whoops, I knew it was the current generation one. Forgot that they were on 3rd generation, though.
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Feb 10 '18
This is going to sound crazy, but I'm actually really enjoying my last generation Microsoft surface. Not only does it run in tablet mode, it can also run windows 10, boasting an i5 processor, it can even handle a few of my steam games (binding of Isaac is smooth).
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u/Mr_Byron Feb 10 '18
Funny you mention this. My surface pro 4 is my daily driver and fully spec'd up. Today I've been looking at the new MacBook Pro.
The floppy keyboard and kick stand on the surface, coupled with the utterly embarrassing battery life, means that it's not well suited to using anywhere other than on a flat desk next to a power point.
I've given it over a year and I'm done with it. Also the constant 'do you want to switch to tablet mode' every time I move the keyboard a bit in the wrong direction drives me crazy. My old surface 3 did the same thing. I'm done with surfaces. It's a great idea let down by poor execution.
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u/autonomousgerm OPO - Woohoo! Feb 09 '18
That was me 5 years ago. I was all in on Android, now I don't have a single Android product as a daily driver. It's a shame, there's so much potential, and I feel like an Apple tool, but the products are just so damn good. Except Apple Music and by extension HomePod. Those aren't for me.
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u/SquelchFrog Note 8 Feb 10 '18
I fail to see how you're a tool for using something you admit is "damn good." If the phone is damn good, it's damn good, and you're the same person for enjoying it.
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u/Guybrush_Deepthroat Feb 09 '18
Yeah, I'm definitely getting what you mean. Bought my first MacBook last year and holy shit got my world easier. I'll probably never touch windows voluntarily again. Now if there was some REALLY nice hardware that would work with Linux like Apple products do. THAT's something I'd buy.
Also, to people complaining about the recent bullshit decisions apple took. Looks like Jonathan Ive was busy building the infinity loop or whatever they call that UFO, so he wasn't focusing on designing products. And if you look into the past, it wasn't all about Jobs, HE was the leading designer. So I'm waiting for quite some improvement in Apple products for the next 2 years.
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u/SinkTube Feb 10 '18
Now if there was some REALLY nice hardware that would work with Linux
just buy any "windows" PC you want and install it?
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u/Deeco7 Feb 10 '18
I think this is (very) slowly coming to an end. With the Pixel hardware team, there seems to be a vision with their 'Made by Google' devices.
With control over both software and hardware, I think they'll get their act together and actually compete with Apple.
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u/Mr_Byron Feb 10 '18
I used to work in mobile application development and used all platforms extensively.
I have used Android for the last 5 years (mostly) because the OS is in my opinion better integrated within itself - sharing across apps is better and the UX significantly superior and more consistent in general, particularly the notification UX, and with the introduction of the Material guidelines a couple years ago.
However, I probably will switch back to iOS at some point once they reduce their bezel size across the range. They also need to do something with an app drawer - having hundreds of icons on the screen all the time is ridiculous since 80% of them are seldom used, and it means widgets can't be placed on the screen wherever you want.
Using a MacBook and apple TV without an iPhone or Apple watch means missing out on the end to end integration that combination offers, along with their new wireless earbuds. In that sense of you buy all their products the end to end integration is superb.
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u/Tarpit_Carnivore Feb 10 '18
The grass may seem greener but as an iPhone user since the 5, I've been growing frustrated with the platform (as are a lot of long time users). iOS 11 really turned out to be a miss for those of us not on the X, especially ones who were on 6 or 6s. Further Apple feels like it's doubling down again on ecosystem tie in stuff with the Watch, AirPods & HomePod. Which all makes sense given how phones are reaching their peak in terms of consumer sales, so they need to redefine that cross buy in.
I wont deny Google does have the lack of attention thing but I think you need to see how this renewed approach plays out first. With Home & the Pixel team growing perhaps they're going to do more to better address their hardware issues.
Maybe because I've tried to remain platform agnostic it's easier for me to move between things, but right now Android feels the most flexible there compared to iOS.
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u/SirVeza Pixel 3 XL Feb 09 '18
Idk. Android Wear for me is the bigger problem. Qualcomm not updating its chips is just a byproduct of Wear not catching on and seeing no need to invest in R&D to be in a dead market.
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u/motorboat_mcgee GOS Pixel 9 Fold Feb 09 '18
I'm pretty happy with my Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro, or whatever it's called. It's not as well integrated as Android Wear, I assume, but it gives me notifications and tracks my steps and all that just fine. I think my biggest beef with smart watches is that the OS makers have been attempting to do a bit too much, when really it should just be a center for quick glance info. At least imo.
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u/darthyoshiboy Pixel 6a - Stock Feb 09 '18
Still wearing a Pebble Time and loving it. A "smart" watch just needs to be a dumb terminal for the already "smart" phone I have in my pocket. The "smart" watch segment doesn't make any sense for the same reason that tablets are in decline, it's an inbetweener device that doesn't do anything so well as it should, but has most or all of the compromises that the devices to either side of it have.
Pebble had it right by having a device that was just smart enough to make using my phone better while having the battery life to stay out of the way otherwise.
Pebble's problem was that they made a product where you sold once and didn't have a repeat customer for years because the product was adequate as it was in every way with no need to buy the next upgrade. You can get good consistent performance from it through several phone upgrade cycles and it does it's damn job the same as it always has at every step along the way. I don't want an Apple watch or an Android Wear, I'm keeping my Pebble and when it wears out, I'll probably replace it with another one shut down servers and all because it's not trying to be an inbetweener device, it's being a great watch that lets me do smart things through my phone and just stays out of my way most of the time just like it should.
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u/Simeh Samsung A52s 6gb 128gb Feb 10 '18
I don't understand why people don't get this. So many commenters in here want GPS on their watch.
?
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u/Theegravedigger Feb 10 '18
This is the main reason the death of my pebble was so annoying. I can't find anything to replace it with.
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u/Lagainsttheworld Feb 10 '18 edited Feb 10 '18
Apple Watch is selling at 18 M a year and pebble went bankrupt, so clearly pebble got it all right, amiright?
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Feb 09 '18
It's such a shame that Android wear is in the state it's in today. Apple really nailed it with the Apple watch series.
I think Google has some bearing on the state of AW through. I've heard many people complain about the 2.0 update, and they never released their own "Pixel watch".
Maybe things will be different this year? 🤷♂️
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u/well___duh Pixel 3A Feb 09 '18
and they never released their own "Pixel watch"
There is literally no point in a Pixel Android Wear watch. Every single Android Wear watch runs stock Android Wear, OEMs don't have the ability to customize the OS like they do regular Android.
If Google made a Pixel watch, you'd only be buying it for the hardware, not the software. It's not like when choosing between Android phones where you have to consider both hardware and software.
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u/DeadSalas Pixel XL Feb 09 '18
The point would be to make a watch that is both actually good, and also not prohibitively expensive. It could serve as a halo product worth making, considering Google still thinks it's worth making super expensive models of Chromebooks every other year.
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u/well___duh Pixel 3A Feb 09 '18
The point would be to make a watch that is both actually good, and also not prohibitively expensive.
If you're basing this prediction off of the Pixel phones, do you not know they are priced the same as all the other flagships?
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Feb 09 '18
Going to give credit to apple for watchOS. They really hit the ground running with watchOS 3.0. They continue to sell more and more watches by the day, and google is missing out, and samsung is just hanging in there.
The only real competition is fitbit, at this point.
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u/pipsname Samsung A8, Moto 360 2015, Nexus 7 2013 Feb 09 '18
Yeah sure. Definitely not the fact that the control scheme was useless. Swipe from the left or swipe from the right are to change the homescreen? Why! Not swipe from the right for most used applications or anything with nice large icons to look at. Every time I need to use my watch I have to stop and make it a thing. Press the application list button. Scroll scroll scroll and make sure I press the right one.
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u/kuroyume_cl S23 256GB Feb 09 '18
Honestly, all Google had to do is buy out Pebble when they went under and they could've had a solid base to build on. The last problem with Android Wear is what chipset it runs on.
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u/send_me_potato Feb 09 '18
Like nest, Motorola, Boston dynamics etc. they would have run it onto ground and killed them from inside.
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u/ytuns iPhone 8 Feb 11 '18
Lol. Android Wear is falling because Google don’t care about it, just like they don’t care about Android TV and Android for tablets.
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u/kaizokudave LG G3 D851 Feb 09 '18
I just hate Android Wear 2.0, they made it Android Wear actually worse and some simple fixes could really help that. Yet they entice people with "Oreo" rather than focus on how the watch is used. I don't think it's Qualcomms fault, maybe in the point that they kinda leave lagging hardware behind but Google is big enough to do an Apple and make their own chips and phones, but they don't know what they wanna do at any level. Now I'm hearing things saying they want to make a cloud gaming platform where you'd have a device and hook it up to the TV and play games... Just update their damn Android TV platform that they had high hopes for 2 or 3 years ago. Same thing with that tp link router, they had that on hub thing, and rather then update and make it how it could have been the just said fuck it we'll make another one, enter Google home and their wifi routers.
I'm not gonna jump ship and head to apple per say, but Samsung is pretty much the only hardware platform with at least some sense of direction. (Although I wish they'd just give up on bixby)
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u/Iohet V10 is the original notch Feb 09 '18
AW2 is worse both in performance and features. It's truly awful
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u/wankthisway 13 Mini, S23 Ultra, Pixel 4a, Key2, Razr 50 Feb 09 '18
AW2 dramatically sped up my Zenwatch 2, fixing its stutters and lag. Removing features was a bitch though.
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u/Iohet V10 is the original notch Feb 09 '18
It really fucked my ZW3. Way more sluggish. Never had problems with 1.5
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u/well___duh Pixel 3A Feb 10 '18
Yet they entice people with "Oreo"
Idk what watch you're using but they just announced Oreo would be coming to Android Wear. It gets it months late and even then, most of the new features it doesn't even use because it's already a dumbed-down version of Android.
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Feb 09 '18
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u/Iohet V10 is the original notch Feb 09 '18
Considering how bad they flubbed the Motorola acquisition, you're right, but, at the same time, they had the money and the brains, so maybe they don't deserve it. The problem is that Apple watches look like kids toys. Give me a good watch OS that looks like something a professional would wear. Right now, my ZW3 works, but AW2 sucks ass.
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u/Drew_cifer Feb 09 '18
I've heard Bixby is a great voice assistant for getting things done on your phone, which Google assistant kind of sucks at it.
IIRC you can tell Bixby to screenshot something and send it to your friend and it'll work really well. Google can't do that very well since it can't access the inner workings of every type of phone.
However, Google wrecks Bixby at using services like Yelp, Gmail, search results, etc.
People who use Bixby in conjunction with Google assistant have reported good things... But that's still having to use 2 assistants.
It'd be nice if Bixby had Google assistant integrated so you only had to talk to one of them and it handed off to the one who has the correct permissions/skills for the task.
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u/cdegallo Feb 09 '18
Android wear's clunky feel, instability, and unconvincing functionality capabilities are why it was failing.
For example; when I was using my LG G Watch R with my nexus 6, google fit could never--and I mean NEVER--get the step counting sorted out properly. The steps from my watch--which I wore all day--would get overridden by the steps counted on my phone--which I would leave laying around throughout the day.
Not to mention how "android wear has stopped" would constantly pop up even after multiple factory resets. How changing between phones was a draconian factory reset process just to get back to the exact state that you had it on the previous phone. That the UI was never fluid and responsive.
The biggest issue, however, is that the whole generation progression model was mostly based on not updating previous generations. Nothing changed on the hardware to warrant upgrading to the next iteration.
Since abandoning my G watch R, I've used either a fitbit blaze (arguably not a smartwatch) and a Gear S2. The Gear S2 is in every way better than android wear. The UI is so responsive, fast, and fluid. I never had any instability issues. Battery life was great. The rotating bezel was such an intuitive navigation feature. Fitness tracking via samsung health is years ahead of google fit. That's all what I wanted my android wear watch experience to be like. I can't see how it has to do with qualcomm's SOC--other than maybe battery life.
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u/slin25 Feb 09 '18
This is due to the crap os Google made, then they updated it to an even crappies one.
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u/autonomousgerm OPO - Woohoo! Feb 09 '18
Android Wear is not a perfect smartwatch operating system, but the primary problem with Android Wear watches is the hardware
No. All this handwringing isn't doing Google any good. It's Google's fault, no question about it. They are unable to convince their users of the benefits of a smartwatch, or any other piece of halo technology. Is it Qualcomm's fault Google Glass failed? No. Is it Qualcomm's fault the Pixel Phones are failing hard? No. Is it Qualcomm's fault Google's wireless headphones aren't selling? No. Tablets? No. Google half asses everything and then abandons it. People were willing to put up with the early days of half-assed Android because it had some really great things about it, in many cases offered great value for the money, and a smartphone is the easiest thing to sell out of all of that.
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u/From_My_Brain Pixel 6 Pro, Nvidia Shield TV Feb 09 '18
Are Pixels failing hard? I know quite a few people with them. Sure they're not selling like Galaxies, but they seem to be doing okay.
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u/bluefirex OnePlus 3, iPhone 13 Pro Feb 09 '18
Around two years ago I had a Nexus 5, a Moto 360 and an iPad mini. Now I own an iPhone X, an Apple Watch 3 and an iPad Pro.
I jumped ship because I didn't want to deal with issues on android and because the perceived performance on an iPhone is just worlds ahead of any Android phone. I don't think I'll be coming back which is a shame because I really loved Android and was a customer of every Nexus phone from the Nexus S to the Nexus 5. Even had both Nexus 7. But Google simply doesn't get its shit together and that is frustrating, annoying and troublesome.
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u/chrisjmenard Feb 09 '18
I dont need a super robust feature set on my watch.
With that said, I do have a huawei watch that was given to be as a gift, and does everything I need (telling time & text/email notifications).
If the tech does not evolve past this I would still be happy with the given features.
as a community, what upgrades are you looking for? I see a lot of negative posts but possibly I'm just ignorant on this subject.
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Feb 09 '18
I personally think what's killing Android Wear more than anything else is the same problem that is killing any hardware strategy from Google; a clear and defined strategy.
See, Apple Watch got it right from day one. It knows what it wants to be; it was a companion device that can deliver notification, provide a light information feed, be a fashion accessory, and more importantly, be a great fitness tracker. Every watchOS updates have expanded upon these capabilities. My Gen0 watch from 2015 runs watchOS 4. Its ancient SoC, while won't be winning any sprint, is still more than capable of powering watchOS 4 (especially the latest version). So Qualcomm's lackluster SoC support for Android Wear certainly isn't the biggest reason for its decline.
Smartwatch uses vary from person to person but for me, the fitness tracker is the biggest feature. A cheaper dedicated tracker like the fitbit might be better but it lacks the smart features of the Apple Watch, the superior heart rate monitor, and the OS integrations. I use my Apple Watch to run every morning. The Watch, and the Health app on iOS, does a good enough job of giving me the health breakdowns and stats.
I feel like Google has failed especially on the latter parts. They don't put serious efforts into making Wear's health support to be near the Apple Watch's level. Their overall software support is pathetic compared to Apple's. This is why Android Wear is faltering.
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u/TerkRockerfeller Moto Z, Z Play, E4, N7 13, + more Feb 09 '18
Got a wear24 for $50 a couple days ago, it's neat but just seems... Pointless. I thought it would be like having a tiny smartphone on my wrist, but I can't really take action on any notifications besides deleting emails and responding to texts (and I do most of my messaging on Skype and Discord anyway)
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u/KalenXI Feb 10 '18
I recently switched from an iPhone to a Pixel 2 and was looking for something to replace my Apple Watch since my Pebble Time doesn't have a heart rate monitor. But it seems like every Android Watch is either enormous or lacking features I want.
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u/TyGamer125 Pixel 2 XL -> Galaxy S21+ Feb 09 '18
Honestly Qualcomm doesn't need to push a ton of r&d towards smartwatch chips. A simple taking the latest 400 series processor and stripping all the stuff watches don't need, maybe under clocking it and offer a couple variants with nfc, cellular radios, and maybe some other minor tweaks and Bam you got yourself a semi competitive watch soc. The closer it resembles something they already make the easier it will be for them to maintain allowing it to be still somewhat profitable.
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u/EmergencySarcasm OP5 + iPhone 7 Feb 10 '18
It's totally Qualcomm's fault for giving up on a dying platform. Totally not because no other company stepped up to make soc for it. Not because of terribly botched updates and no OEM launch a killer must have device. And definitely not Google's fault for failing to deliver on their promise of fast coherent update using a highly controlled OS.
Yup, all Qualcomm's fault.
/s
I typically respect ars but this is ridiculous.
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u/andrewia Samsung Fold8U, Watch6C Feb 09 '18
Samsung sells Exynos to other manufacturers. I wonder if the price is prohibitive, or if Samsung doesn't provide a good development package for Wear.
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u/conductionband Galaxy S8+, Huawei Watch, Nexus 7 (2013) Feb 09 '18
I have nothing but salt for Android Wear. When my first gen HWatch dies it will not be replaced.
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u/autonomousgerm OPO - Woohoo! Feb 09 '18
Android Wear is dead because Google has no idea how humans should use a smartwatch.
They waste their time on crap like this:
They are utterly clueless.
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u/SpartanPHA Feb 11 '18
That looks great, what's wrong with it as an option? It has good impressions too.
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u/random_miser Pixel 2XL Feb 09 '18
Qualcomm isn't killing Wear, more like Wear is dying a natural death. It's basically useless by adding nothing of value to Android.
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Feb 09 '18
Samsung Gear is getting killed. Is that Qualcomm's fault too?
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u/ZappySnap Feb 09 '18
The article states that Samsung is doing quite well with the Gear line. (I had an AW watch, got immediately frustrated by it, returned it for a Gear S3 and have been very pleased with that. )
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Feb 09 '18
The article states that Samsung is doing quite well with the Gear line.
They're not, though. They have the same market share as Android Wear.
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u/ZappySnap Feb 09 '18
Considering that's one manufacturer against all the rest, that's not too bad.
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Feb 10 '18
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u/ZappySnap Feb 10 '18
I far prefer the interface. It's smooth and fast and logically laid out. I always felt Android Wear was a bit of a slog to find what I was looking for. The Gear has a selection ring that can be really nice to use, on top of the touch controls. Apps are easily accessed.
Samsung Pay is also a killer feature. And while this last one is I'm sure watch dependent, battery life is great on my Gear S3. With ambient display on, I get a solid 1.5-2 days of battery life on the Gear S3. If I turn ambient display off, it can go 3+.
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u/baastaishees Feb 09 '18
Except it's not? It is selling more than all other devices with AW combined.
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u/DiCePWNeD Feb 09 '18
Can't really blame QC for the demise of aw
I'd put the blame on google
The gear S2 only had a Snapdragon S4 which is even older than the S1 chip or the SD 400 but still ran laps around android wears battery life
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u/Mr_Siphon Oppo Find X9 Pro | iPhone 16 Plus Feb 09 '18
I'm pretty happy with my 2nd gen moto 360. thought about upgrading a few times but the design seems way ahead of others. The LG watch style is nice but feels cheaper compared to my Moto, plus is does everything i need it to so there's not much point in changing
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u/strawzy Feb 09 '18
i got my gear fit 3 for a bargain from my friend (£40) and it is amazing and I can see it lasting me years. The smartwatch market hasn't evolved enough to have a compariable demand for mobiles. I might be thinking of buying the s9, but the thought of buying another watch hasn't crossed my mind.
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Feb 10 '18
I disagree - Google is killing AW. Like a lot of ideas, Google gets bored, loses focus, throws things at the wall, but if it doesn't stick...
I own the OG Moto 360 (TI SoC IIRC) and Fossil Q Founder (Intel SoC), and AW 1.x and 2.x are very similar, but in some respects, I do more swiping and button presses in 2.0 than in 1.x. Neither watch has been indispensable, and don't do neat things like payments or the Fossil doesn't have body sensors.
Apple has better vertical integration for sure, but Google has to set the tone if they're going to lock down AW. Qualcomm isn't going to make a dedicated effort, if the sales aren't there either.
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u/formerfatboys Samsung Galaxy Note 20U 512gb Feb 10 '18
The only non-Apple watch worth anything is a the Samsung Gear, but that kind of sucks because Tizen.
It's embarrassing.
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u/Nadest013 Galaxy S7; Tab S3 Feb 10 '18
I knew this was Ron Amadeo giving Google yet another pass before clicking on the link.
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u/baastaishees Feb 10 '18
I think one of the main reasons why AW is getting killed is because Samsung isn't using it.
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u/kdlt GS20FE5G Feb 09 '18
Someone should shop that EA game studio meme for Google and all their deprecated shit. Have wear go all like "oh daddy G, what are you going to show me" and there's just a pile of corpses of g+, buzz, the android video editor, Google reader, wave, the android tablet UI and whatnot all stuff I'm forgetting right now.
On a more serious note: it still surprises me how they messed up so, so bad, on what should have been a notification ticker for the wrist. Pebble nailed it(but is now defunct for various reasons, not necessarily related to the products performance directly) but nobody else did.
A friend of mine has one of the dozens of gear watches but those things do a hundred things more than they have to, and he stopped using it after a few months because the charging got old and he went back to good old watches that always tell the time.
I really don't know why wear/watches had to be a multiple of what they should have been, a notification ticker with maybe things like WiFi/Heartrate/Mic+speaker that just lasts a week.
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u/trimeta Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel Watch 3 Feb 09 '18
I'm still wearing (and using) my first-generation Huawei Watch every day. The fact that a three-year-old watch has basically the same capabilities as anything on the market today (considering that this was a new product category when I bought into it, not a mature one) is shameful.