Shortly after Google confirmed the Wear OS overhaul at its I/O developer conference last year, the company announced that the updated operating system would make its way to users on a new range of smartwatches from Samsung and Fitbit. Although Fitbit was supposed to release its Wear OS 3 smartwatch later in the year, the wearables manufacturer is yet to bring it to the market. However, new strings in the latest Google Play Services beta update suggest that the Fitbit watch with Wear OS could launch soon, and it might feature a square display and Google Pay support.
An APK teardown can often predict features that may arrive in a future update of an application, but it is possible that any of the features we mention here may not make it in a future release. This is because these features are currently unimplemented in the live build and may be pulled at any time by the developers in a future build.
Google Play Services v22.32.12 beta includes new strings that make mention of the upcoming Fitbit watch with Wear OS. The strings clearly state that the watch will offer Google Pay support, allowing users to tap to pay "everywhere Google Pay is accepted, ride transit, and more."
<string name="pay_mse_ready_body">You can pay everywhere Google Pay is accepted</string>
<string name="pay_mse_ready_headline">You’re ready to pay with your watch</string>
<string name="pay_mse_validation_pin">Validate the PIN</string>
<string name="pay_mse_validation_wrong_pin">A different PIN was entered</string>
<string name="pay_mse_watch_illustration_description">Fitbit watch illustration</string>
<string name="pay_mse_welcome_new_subtitle">Tap to pay everywhere Google Pay is accepted, ride transit, and more, all with just your watch</string>
In addition, the APK includes two new drawables of what seems to be the Fitbit watch. These illustrations are related to its Google Pay capabilities and show a square display with a contactless payments icon and a dummy card.
The illustrations lead us to believe that the upcoming Fitbit watch could feature a square display with rounded edges, like the Fitbit Versa 3. But, since these are merely illustrations highlighting the Fitbit watch's Google Pay capabilities, they might not offer an accurate representation of the watch itself.
Fitbit is yet to release any official details about its upcoming Wear OS smartwatch, but we expect the company to launch it before the end of this year. It might hit the market alongside the Google Pixel Watch, which is slated to arrive this fall.
Featured image: Fitbit Versa 3