Google confirms Wear OS 5 and Android TV updates are coming, more at I/O

We’re just a few weeks away from Google I/O 2024, and the company has seemingly revealed that major updates are coming in the form of Wear OS 5 and a new version of Android TV.

On Thursday, Google unveiled a significant portion of the I/O 2024 schedule, which (alongside the usual spate of developer-focused sessions) includes quite a few hints at major announcements that will occur. You can check out our broader coverage to learn more about what is in store:

• Google shares I/O 2024 session list: What’s new in Android, AI, and Wear OS 5

Two sessions particularly caught our attention, however. The first focuses on “the future of Wear OS,” and in the description, Google seems to confirm that “Wear OS 5” will be announced in the very near future.

In this talk, we’ll discover the new features of Wear OS 5. This includes advances in the Watch Face Format, and how to design and build for the increasing range of device sizes.

We’ve previously reported on the upcoming Wear OS 5 update, which is set to be based on Android 14. Here, Google has shared an emphasis on the “Watch Face Format” – designed to make watch faces more efficient and dynamic – and designing watch apps to adapt to more “device sizes.” The latter tentpole especially makes sense in light of rumors that Google is preparing a larger 45mm variant of the Pixel Watch 3.

Meanwhile, another session points to an OS-level upgrade coming soon to Android TV and Google TV devices.

Discover new user experience enhancements in Google TV and the latest additions to the next Android TV OS platform update. Learn how the updated developer tools in Compose for TV and Android Studio are making it easier than ever to build beautiful apps for TV.

The last update we got on the TV front was last summer when Google launched an Android TV 14 Beta and simultaneously abandoned its work on Android TV 13. As of now, the newest OS version that Android TV devices use is 2021’s Android 12. Matching Wear OS 5, we expect some Android TV-based devices (including the upcoming Chromecast with Google TV 4K successor) will soon see an upgrade to Android 14.

For now, Google hasn’t offered any hints of what to expect from the “Android TV OS platform update,” though the I/O session will offer updated advice for developers of TV apps.

What do you most want to see from updates to Wear OS 5 and Android TV 14? Let us know in the comments below.

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