Google Play services update reveals more Wear OS backups details
Google has been working on adding a backup functionality to Wear OS watches for a while, though it didn’t make it in time for theGoogle Pixel Watch. These backups will fix one of the biggest issues with the process of connectingany Wear OS watch out thereto a new phone. Right now, you have to set up your watch from scratch whenever you re-pair it to another handset. With backups, this process could become more seamless, allowing you to restore your watch in great parts when you get a new phone. A teardown reveals the latest progress Google is making in this area.
9to5Googlereveals that version 22.42.12 of the Google Play services comes with new hints at Wear OS backup functionality. The app, which is a core service on Android responsible for notification syncing, location data, and more, reveals that you will be able to back up your current watch face, your app data, and device settings. Wi-Fi passwords and permissions are also included.
This all means that when you set up your watch from scratch on a new phone, you will be able to download this data from the cloud. The capability to back up watch faces is particularly valuable, as many watch faces offer endless customization, so having to tweak everything to your liking again can be annoying if the watch face app you use doesn’t offer backups of its own.
There is a caveat, though. The teardown also shows that Wear OS backups will be opt-in, meaning that if you forgot to set it up, you will have to set up your watch from scratch again when you pair it with another phone. It’s likely that Google had to strike a balance between privacy and convenience here, though given that backups are usually encrypted on Google servers, your data should be safe in any case.
Previously, it wasuncovered that the backup process will work similar to how it does on phones, all based onGoogle Onecloud storage. Even with this new leak, it remains unclear how seamless the feature will work, though with these latest details in mind, switching phones could feel a lot less disruptive on your watch than it used to. It’s definitely a shame that Google didn’t release the feature alongside the Pixel Watch when it launched in October 2022.
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