Google seems to be working on a fix for one of the most annoying issues with Wear OS smartwatches. New strings in Google Play Services v22.32.12 beta reveal that the company might soon give users the option to backup their smartwatch data when switching to a new phone.

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.

Currently, you have to factory reset your Wear OS smartwatch when setting it up with a new device. While there is a workaround that lets you pair your Wear OS smartwatch with a new phone without resetting it, it's high time Google offered users an option to backup their smartwatch data to make the process more seamless. The following strings suggest the company is working on just that, and the ability to backup Wear OS smartwatch data could roll out in the near future.

        <string name="companion_backup_opt_in_title">Back up your device with Google One</string>
<string name="companion_backup_settings_title">Backup by Google One</string>
<string name="companion_set_backup_account_title">Choose backup account</string>

Google Play Services v22.32.12 beta also includes new activities regarding the upcoming backup capability, further revealing that it will be an opt-in feature.

        <activity android:enabled="true" android:exported="true" android:icon="@drawable/APKTOOL_DUMMY_9ea" android:label="@string/companion_backup_opt_in_title" android:name="com.google.android.gms.wearable.backup.phone.BackupOptInActivity" android:process="@string/common_ui_process" android:theme="@style/common.Theme.GoogleSettings">
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="com.google.android.gms.wearable.COMPANION_BACKUP_OPT_IN"/>
<category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT"/>
</intent-filter>
</activity>

<activity android:enabled="true" android:exported="true" android:icon="@drawable/APKTOOL_DUMMY_9ea" android:label="@string/companion_backup_settings_title" android:name="com.google.android.gms.wearable.backup.phone.BackupSettingsActivity" android:process="@string/common_ui_process" android:theme="@style/common.Theme.GoogleSettings">
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="com.google.android.gms.wearable.COMPANION_BACKUP_SETTINGS"/>
<category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT"/>
</intent-filter>
</activity>

<activity android:enabled="true" android:exported="false" android:label="@string/companion_set_backup_account_title" android:name="com.google.android.gms.wearable.backup.phone.SetBackupAccountActivity" android:process="@string/common_ui_process" android:theme="@style/SudAlertDialogTheme.Light"/>

There are also new layouts for each activity, called companion_backup_opt_in_activity.xml, companion_backup_settings_activity.xml, and companion_account_activity.xml. However, these layouts are empty at the moment.

The ability to backup your Wear OS smartwatch data will make switching over to a new phone much more seamless. But we might have to wait a while for it to roll out widely, as it seems to be in the early stages of development. We'll make sure to let you know as soon as we have more details about the upcoming feature.