Google Gemini update for Wear OS spotted – here’s what the AI voice assistant will do

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You'll be able to use it via the side button or with 'Hey Google'

Pixel Watch 3
(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)
  • Google is bringing Gemini to Wear OS
  • It's part of a broader rollout to replace Google Assistant across its ecosystem
  • The AI assistant has been spotted again, this time in code for Google's Wear OS Assistant app

Google is planning to replace Assistant across its ecosystem with its potent Gemini AI, and Wear OS could be the next platform to get the treatment, with code suggesting the upgrade could be very close at hand.

We've known about Gemini coming to Wear OS for a while, and now the feature has been spotted buried in the code of the Assistant app for Wear OS, possibly indicating that a launch could be imminent.

As spotted by 9to5Google, the Google Assistant app for Wear OS has been updated and now features several references to Google Gemini buried within its code. Here's what we know, and what it tells us about Gemini.

Google Gemini on Wear OS

The code strings reveal the usual popups you might expect to see following a Wear OS Gemini update, specifically "Gemini is now on your watch" and "Get started with Gemini: Speak naturally and get more done with a personal AI assistant on your watch."

However, the leak also includes some details about how the feature will work and what you might be able to do with it.

“You’re using Gemini on your phone and now it’s the assistant on your watch. To talk to Gemini, hold down the side button, or just say “Hey Google,” if you’ve turned on that setting," another prompt says.

Furthermore, 9to5 reports functions found in the code strings, including "set alarms, timers, message your contacts, and more." As the report notes, that's broadly similar to Google Assistant's current suite of functions.

Google Gemini has plenty of advanced features for Mail, weather updates, and beyond. Whether these more advanced features will come to Wear OS remains to be seen. However, the limited processing power and battery of even the best Android smartwatches indicates that we're unlikely to get every Gemini feature on Wear OS.

As to a rollout timeline, there's no firm date as yet, but this code sighting seems to indicate that Gemini is very close indeed. One possibility is that Google could reserve the rollout for the advent of the Pixel Watch 4, which we'd expect to see as the replacement for the Pixel Watch 3 later this year.

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Stephen Warwick
Stephen Warwick
Fitness & Wearables writer

Stephen Warwick is TechRadar's Fitness & Wearables writer with nearly a decade of experience covering technology, including five years as the News Editor of iMore. He's a keen fitness enthusiast and is never far from the local gym, Apple Watch at the ready, to record his latest workout. Stephen has experience writing about every facet of technology including products, services, hardware, and software. He's covered breaking news and developing stories regarding supply chains, patents and litigation, competition, politics and lobbying, the environment, and more. He's conducted interviews with industry experts in a range of fields including finance, litigation, security, and more. Outside of work, he's a massive tech and history buff with a passion for Rome Total War, reading, and music. 

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