Rita El Khoury / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Google has confirmed that Android 16’s Live Updates are headed to Wear OS.
- The feature will be introduced on Wear OS wearables in 2026.
- Google could integrate Live Updates with Wear OS Tiles or introduce an entirely new system to deliver them.
Live Updates is one of the most talked-about features in Android 16. Finally, Android users will be able to track real-time progress of activities from delivery, rideshare, and navigation apps on their home screens. It’s a feature iPhone users have enjoyed for a while now, but Android’s implementation already seems better from what we’ve seen so far. Yesterday, we told you that Android’s Live Updates won’t be limited to Pixel phones and are coming to more supported Android handsets. Well, as it turns out, the feature is traversing form factors and is also headed for your wrists.
In a developer deep-dive posted just hours ago, Google confirmed that Live Updates will be coming to Wear OS smartwatches in 2026. The company also said that the feature will arrive on foldable devices in addition to regular phones.
When it comes to Live Updates on wearables, Google seems to be following in Apple’s footsteps since the Apple Watch also supports Live Activities on watchOS. As someone who uses an Apple Watch, I can tell you that this glanceability is one of the best things that has happened to Apple’s smartwatch in a while. Having that on a Pixel Watch and Wear OS watches in general would greatly improve the user experience.
Unfortunately, Google didn’t give us a glimpse at what Live Updates would look like on Wear OS, but our guess is the feature would arrive on Wear OS 6.x or Wear OS 7 since it’s set for a 2026 release.
On Apple Watch, Live Activities for tracking real-time app tasks appear in the Smart Stack, a home screen carousel that displays information from apps that are running in the background. Wear OS doesn’t have a direct equivalent to Apple’s Smart Stack, but it does offer Tiles, which display glanceable information from apps. Live Updates might be integrated into these Tiles on Wear OS smartwatches. Alternatively, Google could introduce an entirely new system to surface Live Updates on wearables. We’ll have to wait and watch.
