Fossil Group announces Wear OS 3 update eligibility and release date alongside new Gen 6 Wellness Edition smartwatch

Earlier this week, Google claimed that it was working towards releasing yearly major Wear OS updates, mirroring the experience offered on Android smartphones. Additionally, the company stated that it would be shifting responsibility onto OEMs to deliver Wear OS updates. For some reason, it did not outline when this change in approach would occur, nor from which version of Wear OS.

However, the Fossil Group has now confirmed the rollout of Wear OS 3 on its smartwatches, implying that this change in responsibility already applies. Presumably, this also applies to Mobvoi and its recent Wear OS smartwatches, contrary to Google's claims last year. As expected, only the Fossil Group's smartwatches with Snapdragon 4100 series chipsets will receive Wear OS 3, which only applies to the following:

• Fossil Gen 6
• Michael Kors Gen 6
• Razer x Fossil Gen 6
• Skagen Falster Gen 6

According to Android Central, the Fossil Group will begin issuing Wear OS 3 from October 17. Surprisingly, Google is now letting OEMs customise the UI slightly, a move that Google has prevented all but Samsung from doing until now. Apparently, the Fossil Group's UI will be 'very similar to that of the Pixel Watch', albeit without Google Assistant. Unfortunately, Google Assistant will not be available until a later date on these smartwatches, as is the case with the Montblanc Summit 3.

In the meantime, Fossil owners must make do with Amazon Alexa instead. Bizarrely, upgrading to Wear OS 3 requires a factory reset and must be re-paired to Fossil's revised companion app. To mark the rollout of Wear OS 3, Fossil has announced the Gen 6 Wellness Edition, a version of the Gen 6 running the new OS out of the box. Available later this month, it appears that the Fossil Gen 6 Wellness Edition has a slimmer design than its siblings. Fossil has not announced pricing yet, although it seems that the company will do so later this week.

Purchase the Fossil Machine Gen 6 Hybrid on Amazon