As we begin to see new Wear OS devices enter the market, Google’s efforts to improve the overall experience on Android devices are revealed in the latest Teardown APK from the folks at XDA developers.
New strings in the beta 22.32.12 build of the Google Play Services app reveal that Google is preparing to add support for backing up smartwatch data when switching to a new device. A string is titled: companion_backup_opt_in_title which contains the prompts: Back up your device with Google One / Google One Backup / Choose Backup Account.
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Currently, when you switch from a Wear OS smartwatch to a new Android smartphone, you need to reset the watch to factory settings. Adding an option to back up your device would make the experience much smoother.
The cool thing is the mention of Google One, a paid Google subscription. Google’s device data backup settings and management for Android and iOS are located in the Google One app, although a Google One subscription is not required to use the feature. Google One subscribers pay for the additional storage on their Google account, so we don’t think Google would put a feature like this behind a paywall.
Given the timing of this discovery, Google could add the feature in time for the launch of its next Pixel smartwatch, which is rumored to arrive in October alongside the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro.
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