Google is well know for pulling app support whenever they feel like and their latest victim are smartwatches running Wear OS 2. Google has pulled Google Maps and Google Keep support from Wear OS 2 devices.
This revelation was brought to light after a Reddit user noticed that they could not find Google Keep in the Play Store while using their Wear OS 2 smartwatch.
It turned out that the app had dropped support for Wear OS 2 and says “Does not work on your device,” when viewing the web/mobile version of the listing.
This move by the Google comes just a few weeks after they announced that they’d be ending Chrome browser support for computers running Windows 7 and 8.1.
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It’s not yet clear when support was pulled from the app but we think it could have been around September, when Google revamped Material You. The revamp brought about the ability to create notes or lists using a new tile.
Users of Wear OS 2 who already have Google Maps and Keep installed should be unaffected as the two apps seem to be working fine. But app availability and support should be taken into account when resetting a wearable in the future.
Note: Google, Gboard, Fit, Wallet, Messages, Camera, Clock, Wear OS by Google Smartwatch, and YouTube Music remain accessible on Wear OS 2 smartwatches.
Thoughts On Google Maps No Longer Being Supported On Wear OS 2
There’s a clear difference between not supporting an app anymore and not letting people download it whatsoever, making it unavailable to reinstall too if someone was to reset their watch.
This move by Google is frankly cruel, especially considering how many watches are stuck on Wear OS 2. It’s however not a surprise Google has started to drop legacy support as Wear OS 3 expands to more devices and Wear OS 2 becomes less relevant.
