This secret Android 15 feature could finally give you more media control with a Wear OS smartwatch

(Image credit: Peter Hoffmann)

Android 15 looks set to bring in the ability to control your phone's media output with Wear OS smartwatches.

In a code deep-dive of the Wear OS companion app function (which grants Wear OS app a host of phone data access, such as access to contacts and calendars) in the Android 15 beta by Android Authority’s Mishaal Rahman, a mention of "MEDIA_ROUTING_CONTROL". This new permission reportedly grants the companion app “access a list of available devices and control which one streams or casts audio or video from other apps.”

A somewhat vague description, Android Authority noted one such privileged control permissions are granted to the companion app, they also apply to the connected smartwatch. This basically means the smartwatch would have access to a list of available connected devices (presumably ones paired with a companion smartphone) in order to route audio to video through them.

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So that reportedly means you could, for example, start playing music on your phone through a pair of connected headphones, and then use a Wear OS smartwatch to switch playback to a paired smart speaker without needing to use the phone.

This would be handy if you wanted to change the device your audio was playing from (for example, switching from your earbuds to a Bluetooth speaker) but had left your phone in another room, in a bag, or just wanted to perform a few quick on-wrist gestures instead of opening your phone.

As it stands, Wear OS provides some control over media playback directly from a smartwatch and within watch-based apps, but for greater control over audio from services such as Spotify, one needs to use the connected phone.

But adding more direct control over media feedback via a Wear OS smartwatch could allow for a lot more to be done from a wrist-worn wearable device, bypassing the need for one to dip into a pocket or purse to pluck out a connected Android phone. By building out Wear OS functionality and interconnectivity, Google could help bolster its device ecosystem and the interplay between such devices to provide an experience that's closer to Apple's product and software ecosystem.

It's not clear if such functionality will come to all Wear OS devices, or be reserved for select Google devices like the Pixel Watch and Pixel Watch 2, or even if it'll make it to the full release on Android. We're likely to find out at Google I/O 2024 on on May 14, where we expect a good look at what's next for Android, Wear OS, and other Google software.

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Roland Moore-Colyer is Managing Editor at TechRadar with a focus on phones and tablets, but a general interest in all things tech, especially those with a good story behind them. He can also be found writing about games, computers, and cars when the occasion arrives, and supports with the day-to-day running of TechRadar. When not at his desk Roland can be found wandering around London, often with a look of curiosity on his face and a nose for food markets.