The OS update integrates Gemini Intelligence and adds a new widget system.
By Ian Carlos Campbell May 19, 2026 3:39 pm EST
Google Alongside a slew of new AI-focused announcements at I/O 2026, Google also announced Wear OS 7, the latest update to its wearable operating system. The software update carries over some of the design tweaks the company plans to introduce in Android 17, lays the groundwork for new Gemini Intelligence features and adds interface elements that display glanceable information in new ways.
The biggest of those additions is what Google calls Wear Widgets, an evolution of the informational "tiles" that have been the bread and butter of the Wear OS experience for years at this point. Wear Widgets are designed to be more dynamic and customizable for developers, and closely mirror what can be offered on smartphones. Widgets that users make with Google's AI-powered Create My Widget tool will also be able to make the jump to smartwatches.
Live Updates, Google's system for displaying real-time information on the lock screen of Android phones is also coming to Wear OS, along with a default workout tracker with built-in media controls that can be used across wearable fitness apps. Wear OS 7 will also have controls for deciding which apps automatically launch the Wear OS media controls interface and a new Remote Output Switcher for switching which headphones or speakers play the audio you're streaming.
Critical to Google's current focus on using Gemini for agentic AI experiences, Wear OS 7 includes several APIs that can be used by developers to hook up their apps to Google's Gemini Intelligence system. Those include an AppFunctions API that can integrate features and functions of apps with Google's assistant, and support for the ability to invoke task automation (like placing an order through a food delivery app, for example) directly from your wrist.
Google plans to detail more of the new features of Wear OS 7 during I/O 2026. A test version of the OS is also available to try now via the Wear OS 7 Canary Emulator, ahead of its release later this year.
