What you need to know
- New watch faces have been spotted in the Wear OS 3 emulator.
- The watch faces hint at the existence of the much-rumored Pixel Watch.
- Long-awaited Fitbit integration is also teased in the watch faces.
The elusive Pixel Watch seems to forever be out of reach after years of rumors. However, a look into the Wear OS 3 emulator has not only given us our first glimpse into the "stock" version of the OS but also provides a subtle hint at the existence of the Pixel Watch thanks to some newly uncovered watch faces.
9to5Google's APK team dug into the emulator and found a video showing off new Wear OS watch faces. Some of the new watch faces appear to borrow from Android 12's Material You design language, and one appears to transition from day to night.
Interestingly, two of the watch faces very closely resemble the ones that have been seen on various Pixel Watch renders provided by leaker Jon Prosser, including this one below, suggesting the existence of the long-rumored smartwatch.
Source: 9to5Google and Jon Prosser
Additionally, the watch faces also tease Fitbit integration with Wear OS 3, something that has been discussed since Google announced the update earlier this year. Said integration has not appeared on Samsung's Galaxy Watch 4, likely in favor of its own health app, but it's expected to arrive on other smartwatches when the update becomes available.
Source: 9to5Google
However, according to 9to5Google, these two watch faces may initially be available in the U.S., suggesting that Fitbit integration may not launch globally at first. They also expect that all of the new watch faces may be exclusive to the Pixel Watch.
Still, the emulator is proving invaluable in uncovering new tidbits about Google's "stock" Wear OS 3 without Samsung's One UI Watch on top. The update isn't expected to arrive on the best Wear OS watches until mid-2022, so this may be our only way to get a feel of the platform before it arrives, short of a Pixel Watch launch, of course.
Wear OS 3 is coming
If you're looking for a good smartwatch, short of an official Pixel Watch, the Fossil Gen 6 should prove up to the task thanks to its snappy Qualcomm chipset. It's also set to receive Wear OS 3 in 2022, which will make the watch even better.
