Fossil debuted the much-awaited Wear OS 3 update for its Gen 6 smartwatches with the launch of the new Wellness Edition model last week. The company has now started rolling it out to older Gen 6 models and shared a detailed overview of everything new in the update.
The Wear OS 3 update for older Fossil Gen 6 smartwatches has already started rolling out to users, according to recent reports on Reddit. It packs upgraded health and wellness tracking features thanks to a new Wear Health Services system layer that "collects and provides the data to apps in a more battery-efficient manner." The update also brings an updated interface, performance and stability improvements, a new phone companion app, and improved third-party apps. However, it doesn't offer all the features you get on other Wear OS 3 smartwatches like the Galaxy Watch 5 and the recently-released Pixel Watch.
In a post on Reddit, Fossil says that the Wear OS 3 update for the Gen 6 lineup does not offer Google Assistant support. Google is reportedly working on bringing the Assistant to smartwatches featuring the Snapdragon Wear 4100 chipset, but the company has not provided a release timeline yet. To make up for the lack of Google Assistant, Fossil has partnered with Amazon to bring Alexa to its smartwatches.
Along with the lack of Google Assistant support, the Wear OS 3 update for the Fossil Gen 6 lineup does not offer Google Wallet support at launch. Google Maps also doesn't work for iOS users and Google Fit is not preloaded in the release as it "hasn't been updated to support the latest Wear Health Services." It's also worth mentioning that Wear OS 3 on the Fossil Gen 6 lineup is based on Wear OS 3.2.x, not Wear OS 3.5.
Fossil notes that the Wear OS 3 update for Gen 6 smartwatches will not install automatically, and users will have to tap on the Wear OS 3 update notification to initiate it. If you miss the notification, you can head to the software updates section in the settings to start the update. The company also says that the update will factory reset the smartwatch, erase all data, and prevent rollback to the Wear OS 2 release.
After you install the update, you'll have to pair your watch with the updated Fossil companion app on your phone. It won't work with the Google Wear OS app, and you'll have to reset/forget your watch from the Google Wear OS app and Bluetooth settings to pair it with Fossil's companion app. Fossil warns that the entire update process will take a while and recommends users leave the watch on the charger for the duration. For more details, check out Fossil's Reddit post by following the link below.