What you need to know
- A new update for the TicWatch Pro 5 brings new enhancements such as display responsiveness improvements and more.
- The update also contains a number of bug fixes and bumps the security version to the July patch.
- The smartwatch still does not appear to have access to Google Assistant despite the feature arriving on Fossil smartwatches.
A new update has begun rolling out to the TicWatch Pro 5, the latest Wear OS smartwatch from Mobvoi.
The update was detailed on the official Mobvoi Facebook group and has since been spotted by some users on Reddit. Build RMDB.230615.003 bumps the security patch to the latest July 2023 version and has already begun rolling out to users, although it will take a few days to arrive for every TicWatch Pro 5 owner. It's expected to reach 20% of devices by June 29 and 100% by July 1.
Below are the enhancements arriving in the new update:
- Ensure that the security patch is up to date by upgrading it to the latest version, dated 2023-07-05.
- Enhance the vibration intensity of notifications to make them more noticeable.
- Allow the alarms to function even when the device is locked, particularly after exiting Essential mode.
- Improve the responsiveness of the OLED screen by increasing the speed of 'Tilt to wake up' feature.
- Enhance the overall stability of the system to minimize any potential issues or glitches.
In addition to these enhancements, several bug fixes included in the update should further improve the experience. These are related to issues with the audio, TicHealth crashes, heart rate measurements, and more:
- Resolved an issue where the audio might not be heard by the other party during calls on certain devices.
- Fixed a bug that caused difficulties in customizing pictures while using the Image watchface.
- Addressed several issues that could lead to the TicHealth app crashing unexpectedly.
- Corrected a problem where the heart rate measurement occasionally displayed an incorrect off-wrist prompt.
- Resolved various other bugs and issues to improve overall performance and user experience.
Unfortunately, the update does not appear to include support for Google Assistant. After a rather lengthy wait, Google finally expanded access to the Assistant to smartwatches outside the Pixel Watch and Samsung's Wear OS Galaxy smartwatches. So far, only the Fossil Gen 6 smartwatches running Wear OS 3 have received the update with Assistant support. Hopefully, Mobvoi won't be too far behind in bringing this feature to its latest smartwatch.
Meanwhile, other Mobvoi smartwatch owners are still waiting for the big Wear OS 3 update, which has also lagged behind Fossil. Mobvoi explained that it requires more time to get the software to work with its proprietary hardware, but Mobvoi owners are understandably growing impatient.
The TicWatch Pro 5 is powered by the latest Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 chipset, which has proven itself as a stellar performer, possibly making this one of the best Android smartwatches money can buy right now. With any luck, this won't be the last update Pro 5 owners can expect from Mobvoi.
The new TicWatch Pro 5 is the first of a new class of next-generation Wear OS smartwatches, powered by the latest Snapdragon chipset providing better performance, improved battery life, and enhanced health tracking.
