Wear OS 7 is finally bringing proper Android widgets to your wrist

Google's annual I/O developer conference has concluded, and it gave us a lot to talk about. We've already talked about Google's Ask Play upgrade for the Play Store, Gemini bringing conversational AI to Docs and Gmail, the latest 24/7 Spark agent, and more.

However, there's another release that hasn't grabbed as many headlines just yet. Built right on top of Android 17, Google, at I/O, also unveiled Wear OS 7.

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For reference, last year's Wear OS 6 update finally brought Material 3 Expressive to wearables, complete with refreshed app icons, a cleaner Quick Settings layout, adaptive charging, and more.

This time around, Wear OS 7 is finally introducing proper widgets, bringing wearables closer to the rest of the Android family.

Officially labeled 'Wear Widgets,' they're described as "flexible and dynamic" with small and large layouts. These would align perfectly with the 2x1 and 2x2 formats on your Android phone, ensuring that widgets feel familiar across your phone and your watch.

Complementing widgets are Live Updates. These will function similarly to their Android implementation, replacing the older Ongoing Activities framework.

This should allow apps to highlight real-time information at a glance. This could be the status of the cab that you just booked, or your food delivery order.

Gemini's agentic prowess is coming to your wrist

Elsewhere, Wear OS 7 should also bring agentic experiences to the watch. This should allow apps to be integrated with agents and assistants like Gemini. Once integrated, users would be able to complete tasks using voice instead of having to manually navigate the watch UI.

"For example, to start a run with the Samsung Health app, users are able to tell Gemini: 'Start tracking my run.'"

Additionally, Gemini's agentic capabilities will land on your wrist too. This means that you'll be able to tell your Wear OS 7 watch to place a DoorDash order, for example, and it will be able to take all relevant steps for you.

Wear OS 7 is available to test out for developers now. It is expected to make its way out to all later this year!