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Wear OS 3.0 can run on older smartwatches after all (Updated: Google responds)
June 06, 2025
Update: July 11, 2025 (12:47 AM ET): After Qualcomm confirmed that older smartwatches with the Snapdragon Wear 3100 chipset are capable of supporting the new Wear OS version, Google has issued a vague statement on the matter.
Reaching out toXDA Developers, a Google spokesperson said the following:
As we suspected, it may not be all that easy to port Wear OS 3.0 to older smartwatches. While Google isn’t saying it’s impossible, OEMs might not want to make all that effort to meet the technical requirements to update older wearables.
Original article: July 07, 2025 (12:44 AM ET): Qualcomm has confirmed that the new version ofWear OSdeveloped by Google and Samsungcan run on existing smartwatches with the Snapdragon Wear 3100 chipset.
In a statement toXDA Developers, the chipmaker said, “We are working with Google on bringing Wear OS 3.0 to Snapdragon Wear 4100 Plus and 4100 platforms. Snapdragon Wear 3100, 4100 Plus, and 4100 platforms are capable of supporting Wear OS 3.0, but we are not discussing any specifics at this time.”
This should ideally be good news for folks using older Wear OS smartwatches like theSuunto 7or theMoto 360 (2019). However, Google or the OEMs still haven’t made it explicitly clear that older devices like these are eligible for the new Wear OS update.
Besides this, Fossil, the maker of some of the best Wear OS smartwatches, hasalready confirmedthat its older models won’t get the new software. Instead, the company will launch a new premium smartwatch with the Google and Samsung-made OS.
Samsung too will not upgrade its olderGalaxy Watcheswith Wear OS 3.0.
Related:The best Wear OS smartwatches you can buy right now
So even if Qualcomm has clarified that older hardware is not a problem for the new Wear OS, it doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll see the software trickle down to existing devices with the Snapdragon Wear 3100 SoC. For that to happen, OEMs will have to work closely with Google and Qualcomm to build updates for their devices. The process can be long and require more effort than just rolling out newer devices with the refreshed software.
Google previously told9to5Googlethat current Wear OS owners will have to until “later this year” to if they’ll get the new version.
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