Android Wear is pretty much at a standstill right now. Fashion brands continue to release new hardware running the OS, but it's been a hot minute since a major tech company has put any real time or effort into releasing new products with it. Thankfully, Google appears to be planning a complete rebrand for Android Wear to breath new life into it.
Thanks to a screenshot from one Redditor on the /r/androidwear subreddit, it looks like the Android Wear name will be replaced by "Wear OS." The screenshot shows Google Play Services' Nearby feature that pops up when it detects a new Android Wear watch can be paired, but as you can see from the image below, it references Wear OS and shows a new colorful logo that sort of mimics the Google Assistant's branding.
This change was found in the latest 12.5 beta for Play Services, and while there's not much else it reveals, it's exciting nonetheless.
Android Wear used to be my personal favorite wearable OS, and I religiously wore the Samsung Gear Live, Moto 360, and Huawei Watch. However, thanks to lackluster hardware that was released to debut Android Wear 2.0, the platform's kind of been in a rut for over a year now.
I'm guessing Google will formally introduce Wear OS this coming May at Google I/O, and while I don't anticipate any hardware announcements at that time, I'm hoping and praying for a Pixel Watch this October alongside the Pixel 3.
Anything you're hoping to see in Wear OS?
