Episode 15

How Wear OS brings Android to your wrist

Published on: 25th April, 2022

On this episode, we seek insight on Wear OS, formerly known as Android Wear. As with any other operating system Google has its hands in, there are some unique challenges that developers have had to deal with. Add to that the general malaise the software has experienced over the past several years and you could say that this ship needed to turn around. What does Wear OS 3.0 do to help with that?

We're joined by Sean Hoyt, an Android developer who worked on the BLOCKS and Open Watch smartwatch concepts, and Greg Viczian, a Wear OS app developer best known for his Bubble Cloud launcher.

  • 01:42 - How did Android Wear get its start? What was using it like?
  • 08:36 - What made it challenging for third-party devs to work on Android Wear/Wear OS?
  • 17:27 - What happens when you try to cram a full version of Android onto a smartwatch?
  • 24:58 - What is the app development experience for Wear OS?
  • 32:30 - What does Wear OS 3.0 bring and what does Samsung have to do with all of it?
  • 41:57 - What does the future hold for the success or failure of Wear OS?

Android Bytes is hosted by Mishaal Rahman, Senior Technical Editor, and David Ruddock, Editor in Chief, of Esper.

Esper enables next-gen device management for company-owned and managed tablets, kiosks, smart phones, IoT edge devices, and more.

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Our music is "19" by HOME and is licensed under CC BY 3.0.

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About the Podcast

Android Bytes (powered by Esper)
A weekly show that dives deep into the Android OS
Android Bytes (powered by Esper) is the podcast that dives deep into the engineering and business decisions behind the world’s most popular OS. https://www.esper.io

Android powers over 3 billion devices worldwide and is the platform of choice for over a thousand companies. You’ll find Android on smartphones, tablets, watches, TV, cars, kiosks, and so much more. How does Google architect Android to run on so many form factors, and how do companies fork AOSP to make it run on even more devices? These are the kinds of questions the Android Bytes podcast considers each week.

Join cohosts Mishaal Rahman and David Ruddock, two journalists with extensive knowledge covering the Android OS platform and ecosystem, as they speak to system architects, kernel engineers, app developers, and other distinguished experts in the Android space.

Get in touch with us at Esper.io if you’re looking to use Android for your product — we have the experience you need.

About your hosts

David Ruddock

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David is the Editor in Chief of Esper, and cohosts Android Bytes. David spent over 10 years as the Editor in Chief of Android Police, where he reviewed more phones than he'd care to admit, broke dozens of exclusive mobile industry stories (and also, phones), and ran one of the web's most vibrant Android communities.

Mishaal Rahman

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Mishaal is the Senior Technical Editor at Esper.io and a cohost of the Android Bytes podcast. At his previous role as Editor-in-Chief at XDA-Developers, Mishaal was at the forefront of Android tech journalism, breaking story after story on new OS features and platform changes.