Google continues to test Wear OS 5.1 with Watch speaker playback
Google is testing its next wearable on Android 15-based WearOS 5.1, which has been recently seen through the developer preview. New features can be easily seen in this new WearOS. Apart from this, it is based on the WearOS 5.1 API level 35.
Earlier, some apps were tested on API level 34 for WearOS 5. Google has highlighted two new features that are capable of making the WearOS app experience even better. These two new features are Credential Manager support and Watch Speaker Playback.
This new Credential Manager API provides a unified authentication solution that supports keeping passwords, passkeys, and federated identities secure. It can also sync and store all the account information in the device for the user. Apart from this, control is also available on devices that support media playback through the watch speaker.
Wear also integrates with the output switcher, allowing users to select speakers as their preferred media output option. These features do not allow the Pixel Watch 3 and YouTube Music to use the built-in speakers for media playback. These require paired Bluetooth headphones, as speakers are quiet and power intensive.
However, this feature was already introduced in the Apple Watch Series 10 a few months ago. Additionally, the onboard speaker was used to run this feature on the Galaxy Watch 4. Earlier, Google announced during I/O 2024 in May that “Quarterly platform releases in WearOS 5” will also support passkeys.
This WearOS 5.1 is available for developers to test in the Android Studio emulator. These features were released as a beta last Tuesday, November 19, with Build ID AP4A.241205.004.F1. However, it also has some issues known to be seen in other devices.
The emulator does not always allow the user to add an account during the setup flow after a reset. Also, when your notification is tapped, the app sending the notification does not open unless the user scrolls the screen. The Wear Health services on this watch sometimes fail to start the exercise. However, the brand has not confirmed any date for the rollout of this new feature.
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