Google Lists Two Unsupported Wear OS Apps Under ‘Essential Watch Apps’ Section

Google is currently marketing Wear OS 3 apps with a dedicated “essential watch apps” section on the Play Store. However, as pointed out by Reddit user u/mannabhai (via Phone Arena), two of the apps showcased on the essentials list are no longer compatible with Wear OS 3.

The essential list mentions apps like Wear OS, Google Fit, Telegram, Google Keep, Uber, Google Maps, Citymapper, and Podcast. It seems like the list was created in haste as Telegram and Uber are no longer compatible with the latest iteration of Wear OS.

Uber lost support for Wear OS a long time ago while Telegram ditched the platform recently

While Uber lost support for Wear OS some time ago, Telegram stopped supporting the platform only recently. It’s baffling that Google is trying to promote these apps without confirming their availability. It’s likely a temporary oversight on the company’s part.

Google is betting big with the all-new Wear OS 3.0 as it merged with Samsung’s Tizen OS. This also explains why the Galaxy Watch 4 was the first to debut this unified platform last month. However, the company warned during the initial announcement that only a handful of older Wear OS smartwatches would get the new update.

Among the watches expected to get new Wear OS 3 are the Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 3 GPS, TicWatch Pro 3, and the TicWatch E3. Meanwhile, the Fossil Gen 6 series, including the Michael Kors Access Gen 6 Bradshaw, will also get Wear OS 3.

Wear OS 3.0 brings a handful of changes, including refreshed Tiles from your favorite apps. Google has so far refreshed the appearance of Tiles for Google News, Calendar, Weather, as well as the Alarm Clock, to name a few.

Google said that it would make the Tiles API available to third-party developers. Some of the current third-party Tiles include Spotify, Strava, etc. Thanks to Google’s acquisition of Fitbit, Wear OS 3 will have a new Active Zone Minutes Tile built-in. Moreover, the platform will introduce refreshed versions of apps like YouTube Music, Google Pay, and Google Maps.

Google recently updated the ‘App Quality’ guidelines for Wear OS 3, providing developers the necessary information to build apps for the new platform.