Wear OS adds UV Index to make your skin (and your mom) happier

What you need to know

• Google is updating the weather app on Wear OS.
• It will now display the UV Index for your location.
• This information can help Wear OS users to know the optimal time for outdoor activities.

Say what you will about the pace of software development on Wear OS, but Google has steadily continued to iterate on the product and has been dropping occasional updates to its users. As a case in point — today, the Wear OS team announced via its Twitter account that the weather app on Wear OS will now start including the UV Index for your location.

Why is the UV Index information so important? Knowing the UV Index levels for your area can help you decide the optimal time to take your dog for a walk or to get some fresh air and exercise while avoiding the most intense sunlight of the day. The higher the UV Index rating, the more likely you'll need to wear long sleeves, pants, a hat, and/or sunscreen to protect yourself from the most harmful ultraviolet rays. This added feature is a minor update, to be sure, but it's one that both your dermatologist and your mother will approve of.

Wear OS has lagged behind other platforms in terms of performance updates for years, but this is hopefully a step in the right direction as Google seeks to integrate Fitbit into its ecosystem. Combined with recent updates to Google Fit, we're hopeful that Wear OS will gain ground where it's been lacking in health and fitness tracking.

Even though our top pick for the best Android smartwatch actually runs Samsung's Tizen, and we also favor some of the best options from Fitbit and Garmin, one of our favorite Wear OS devices right now is the TicWatch Pro 3 because it is running the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 4100 processor, which gives it a much needed performance boost. We also re-reviewed the Fossil Gen 5e recently, and while things like the battery life and storage left us wanting, the overall interface, performance, and apps still made us smile.