Wear OS 3 has been supported by Samsung smartwatches for over a year at this point, but now it’s finally coming to Fossil devices in just a few days. While the launch of the Google Pixel Watch today has put Wear OS 3 back in the spotlight, Fossil smartwatches are the first to be upgraded from the previous Wear OS 2 version.
While it’s certainly exciting that Wear OS 3 is coming to more devices, it’s important to note that it won’t be headed to all of Fossil’s lineup. As reported by Android Central, the upcoming Fossil Gen 6 Wellness Edition will be launching with Wear OS 3; the Fossil Gen 6, the Michael Kors Gen 6, and the Skagen Falster Gen 6 will all be receiving the OS update together when the Wellness Edition launches. Luckily, fans won’t have to wait long as the update rolls out on October 17.
Google has been pretty selective about which devices even support Wear OS 3, with the current list before the Fossil update only hosting four entries — one of which costs over $1,200. It’s exciting, then, for Fossil to be doubling the number of supported smartwatches. Wear OS 3 is a decent step up from previous iterations, and up until now, it’s been gated off from most smartwatches. Hopefully, this opens the floodgates for more adoption.
Although Fossil Gen 6 watches will be running Wear OS 3, there’s a major difference between its version and the ones found in previous iterations: iOS connection support. Previously, if you wanted to use a Wear OS 3 watch, you’d need to have an Android phone. With these Fossil watches being updated to Wear OS 3, iPhone users can get in on everything the OS brings to the table. In addition to iOS support, the Fossil Gen 6 watches allow users to set custom battery settings and use the Fossil Wellness app instead of the Google Fit app.
Like the Montblanc Summit 3 (the only non-Samsung, non-Google smartwatch to support Wear OS 3,) the Fossil Gen 6 smartwatches don’t support Google Assistant. Should more smartwatches upgrade to the OS down the line, this may be a trend as Assistant isn’t compatible with smartwatches using a Qualcomm chipset.
Two new highly requested iCloud plugins just got added to ChatGPT, giving people who rely on Apple’s Mail and Calendar services a way to search emails, check appointments, and manage their schedules directly through the chatbot.
The integration is rolling out to all ChatGPT plans, including the free tier. You can access it on the web, desktop, and iOS.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.
Samsung’s scandal over its Game Optimizing Service, or GOS, has returned with a bill attached. South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission has tentatively fined the company 20.1 billion won, or about $15.1 million, over gaming claims made for the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S22, and Tab S8.
The regulator says Samsung promoted the devices as gaming powerhouses without disclosing that GOS placed preset CPU and GPU limits on certain demanding games. Samsung disputes that conclusion, calling GOS a legitimate way to manage heat.