Wear OS is the operating system of almost all smartwatches in circulation. It is a kind of Android for smart watches, clearly relieved of the most essential things. Just yesterday we saw how it is possible to take screenshots from the smartphone but on the smartwatch. Today, however, the news has nothing to do with the features that can be used, quite the opposite. Loading applications onto the watch is very simple: just go to the Play Store (from the smartwatch), select “App on your phone” and load the application that interests us. Good, it will no longer be possible to do so from 10 March.
No more sideloading of applications from Google Play Store on Wear OS: the giant is informing developers that from 10 March the system will no longer work as usual
Wear OS for some time it has switched to an application model different from the apk we know. While before it was possible install the same smartphone apps on the smart watch, from 10 March it will no longer be possible to do so but it will be necessary MUST pass through the Play Store. The reasons are many: first of all, smartphone applications weigh more and the little memory on board smartwatches risks saturating it in a short time.
The second reason, much more important, is the control that Google must have and has over applications. It has only recently introduced new security measures that prevent some Google apps from being sideloaded on Android 11 and it will do this on Android 12 too. The change is quite understandable in the Wear OS case, though. The company wants separate smartwatch apps from Android appsthus also ensuring greater control. According to what was revealed by Android Police, many developers have already "converted" to the new system.
We do not know if with this change of policy theinstallation via ADB commands it will be possible. We assume so, but only time will give us an answer.
