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Google’s smartwatch operating system took a back seat at I/O this year, and its lack of relevance reveals the next direction AI is heading: your body.
last year, Wear OS 6 It debuts a redesigned interface, smoother animations, battery improvements, and most importantly, Gemini on the wrist. The company has framed smartwatches as the next major surface for AI, positioning Wear OS as a key part of Android’s future.
It turns out that this may be the beginning of a larger transformation.
This year, Wear OS 7 didn’t get more than a passing mention. Instead, Google I/O focused largely on health AI tools, Gemini integrals, XR glasses And supporting devices such as the monitor Fitbit Aira $100 band without a display, was designed primarily to serve as a gateway into Google’s healthy ecosystem. The redesigned Fitbit app is now the hub for Google Health, centered around an AI-powered health coach/concierge (with a $10 per month Premium subscription) that can provide personalized training recommendations and show broader health trends.
Google’s new Fitbit Air is a screen-less fitness tracker with a built-in trainer.
Wear OS 7 updates, as described in the official Blog postfocused mostly on minor tweaks under the hood: battery life improvements (10% more than Wear OS 6), a switch from full-screen tiles to smaller Android-style widgets, updated live update notifications with dynamic information, a unified global exercise tracking experience for workout apps and expanded Gemini Intelligence for “select” watches. This includes the new AppFunctions API that allows developers to connect their apps to Gemini to automate tasks. Developers can now test features in the Wear OS 7 Canary simulator, based on Android 17. A wider consumer rollout is expected later this year.
This shift signals the direction Google expects from hardware in general, with wearables playing a supporting role in Google’s main AI story. Phones, watches, glasses, and earbuds are starting to seem secondary to the layer of AI above them. Devices will still matter, but mostly because they give Gemini more context, more sensors, and more access to your life (and body). Google’s new AI-based health coach can now analyze biometric trends and even medical records to create personalized recommendations.
Google isn’t alone in this broader industry trend. Apple is leaning on Google’s Gemini Run a renewed Siriwhile also expanding its scope Apple intelligence for watchOS on Apple Watch. Companies like Whoop and Oura are building similar AI-based training systems. Across the industry, hardware is increasingly being offered as a delivery mechanism for AI services rather than the core product itself.
Google Pixel Watch 4.
But before this AI-driven health future becomes a reality, companies like Google will need to convince their customers that their most sensitive data is actually safe.
Google says its health features are designed with user privacy controls in mind, but the company has not yet fully determined how vital and medical records data will be processed across Gemini-powered experiences.
Health data has a long history of being disclosed, shared or sold, and even strong privacy promises have failed before. Anonymized health data can still be traced back to a specific person. Google will likely face an uphill task tempting people to hand over access to their medical records.
Wear OS 7 is now available through the Canary Emulator for developers, giving app makers early access to new APIs and testing compatibility before launch. Google says a broader rollout of Wear OS 7 will begin later this year (no specific Watch models listed yet), with some Gemini Intelligence features arriving independently on supported devices based on region, manufacturer, and account eligibility.
