Google brings Fast Pair support to Wear OS ahead of Galaxy Watch5 and Pixel Watch launches

Google is slowly adding new features to Wear OS ahead of the operating system's next major releases. To recap, Google is yet to release vanilla Wear OS 3 to existing smartwatches, such as the TicWatch Pro 3 series and the Fossil Gen 6. However, Montblanc recently announced the Summit 3, the first smartwatch to launch a non-One UI Watch version of Wear OS 3. Incidentally, Samsung is beta testing a new version of One UI Watch on the Galaxy Watch4 series, based on Wear OS 3.5.

Now, 9to5Google has discovered that Google has added Fast Pair support to its smartwatch OS. Introduced in October 2017, Fast Pair will allow a supported smartwatch to pair with Bluetooth earbuds or headphones almost automatically. In practice, a notification will appear on your smartwatch, letting you know that a Fast Pair-compatible audio product is nearby. As it stands, Fast Pair support extends to in-ear monitors, as well as a few portable speakers like the Sony SRS-XB13.

Undoubtedly, Google is adding Fast Pair support now in anticipation of the Pixel Watch's launch this autumn. In the meantime, Google will start selling the Pixel Buds Pro, with Samsung expected to announce the Galaxy Watch5 and Galaxy Watch5 Pro in late August. Theoretically, Fast Pair should make its way to all Wear OS devices, not just the Pixel Watch. It remains to be seen if that is the case though, because this month's Google Play services update has not rolled out to all Wear OS smartwatches yet. Either way, we imagine that at least the Pixel Watch and Galaxy Watch5 series will support it, at the very least.

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