The company has shed more light on these new Wear OS capabilities via an official support page. First up, Google says it has greatly “improved workout tracking on Wear OS” while also offering a simpler UI. The workout tile now enables you to set goals from your wrist itself. Tap the ‘flag’ button at the bottom, choose a workout metric (distance, calories or heart points), and hit play. Check out the new UI right here:
What are the biggest upgrades you ask? Well, Wear OS has simplified navigation to make it easier for users to start new workouts. The workout tile has been revamped to now display the distance traveled, the time elapsed, and the lap time for the previous kilometer. You will also receive alerts for each kilometer or mile. This will give you a better idea of your pace, offering motivation to quicken your pace or slow-down in real-time. Further, a swipe to the left on the workout tile will show the heart rate, calories burnt, the clock, and your heart points (an important metric target that many, including my dad, try to achieve each day) front and center. You will need to tap on the highlighted middle section to cycle through these metrics.
If you listen to music, a swipe to the right should give you access to the music player. It also offers a new ‘touch lock’ button to help prevent accidental touches from disrupting a workout. You will still be able to pause and resume workouts or use the UI via hardware buttons. A long-press on the power button will disable the touch lock. In addition, Wear OS will continue to celebrate your goals during a workout. There is now also a new Breathe tile to help you relax with guided breathing sessions. Google is finally turning focus to fitness and health features in Wear OS when both Samsung & Apple have taken a massive lead in the wearables category. The new Google Fit UI and features will start rolling out to existing Wear OS users this week itself.
