Android smartwatches on a short leash

Google is pulling the reins: In the future, apps on Android smartwatches will no longer be that easy to use. If Google has its way, then they have to come from the official Play Store. Owners of a Smartwatch with Wear OS will certainly not like this.

Restricted use: Wear OS with Play Store compulsory

Many smartwatches use Wear OS as the operating system. Up until now, it was possible to install apps here at will. As long as Wear OS is supported, nothing stood in the way of deployment. That will be from March 10, 2021 but change. But at this point it will only be possible to install apps on the smartwatch with Wear OS that come from the Google Play Store.

Google itself is not explicitly taking action against “sideloading”, but rather forbids foreign sources rather via detours. From this point on, the “Legacy Embedded App Model” is no longer supported. In this model, apps for Wear OS have been put into one category together with normal Android apps for cell phones. Since it is possible to install apps from external sources on smartphones, this is also possible with smartwatches. As usual, use is at your own risk. Google doesn’t want to know anything more about that.

Google wants one in the future Stricter separation between apps for smartwatches and apps for smartphones achieve how SlashGear reported. The respective APK files should become smaller and more specific, so the hope. The fact that “sideloading” is lost with many smartwatches is apparently simply accepted.

What you should know before buying a smartwatch:

Smaller selection: Google seals off Wear OS

Wear OS will lose its openness due to the step that has now become known. If in the future there will only be apps from the Play Store, users and developers alike will be forced to forego other solutions and sources. This should increase security via Play Protect, but the selection of apps for Wear OS does not exactly increase.