Affiliate links on Android Authority may earn us a commission. Learn more.
Wear OS is finally learning to prioritize faster connections for updates
- Wear OS offers multiple data connectivity options, including cellular, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth.
- System updates can be very large, presenting a bottleneck on slower Bluetooth connections.
- A new change will see Wear OS prioritize Wi-Fi and cellular over Bluetooth for downloading updates.
Keeping your Android device updated is probably the single most important thing you can do to get the most out of it, ensuring you’ve got access to not just all the hot new features, but also critical security patches. On our phones, installing updates is pretty easy, and we’ve got no shortage of great options for getting new software on them, from cellular or Wi-Fi OTA, to a wired USB connection. The situation’s been a little more complicated when we’re looking at smartwatches, but a recent tweak sounds like it could be changing things for the better.
Wear OS smartwatches generally support Wi-Fi, and many models also offer the option for cellular connectivity, but so far it’s really been Bluetooth doing a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to getting data on and off our watches. And while Bluetooth is really great at a lot of things, it’s not exactly the fastest way to transfer a whole lot of data. With modern Wear OS updates pushing into the gigabyte range, you’re probably going to want something speedier than Bluetooth to send them to your watch.
Thankfully, a recent update to Google Play Services is doing something about that problem (via 9to5Google). Going forward, your smartwatch should be able to grab its updates as quickly as possible, thanks to a change in how available network options are prioritized. Google explains:
When you update your wearable device, Wi-Fi and cellular networks will now be prioritized over Bluetooth for faster downloads. If Wi-Fi isn’t available, you can choose your preferred network instead.
So far, if you’ve wanted to force an update to come down over one of those higher-speed connections, you’d have to manually disable the Bluetooth link to your phone — not the most graceful solution in the world. Prioritizing Wi-Fi and cellular for all your watch’s data needs might be overkill — and not great for your battery life — but by singling out what’s probably the one biggest data hog for many smartwatch users, this targeted approach sounds like a smart compromise.
Let us know in the comments if you’ve spotted this change going live for your own Wear OS smartwatch.