OnePlus didn’t use Wear OS on its watch? Here is the reason

The OnePlus was so quick to acknowledge that the Watch wouldn’t process Wear OS, but it hasn’t said much about why. Thankfully, there’s now an explanation — if a brief one. According to news, the company’s Watch product manager revealed in a Q&A that OnePlus mostly chose the more limited RTOS over Google’s platform to offer “longer battery life.”

Despite OnePlus didn’t explain further on this decision to skip Wear OS, it has said in an opening statement that one-day battery life was the most common reason why people stopped wearing their smartwatches. The Watch’s two-week battery life clearly addresses that claim, even if it means losing an app ecosystem and more sophisticated features like Google Assistant.

This way has also made influence on OnePlus’ decisions on features beyond Wear OS. The firm acknowledged that many people wished the Watch would offer an always-on display, but said it was only “evaluating” the possibility of adding that feature through an over-the-air update. It wanted feedback on whether AOD was worthwhile when it could boost the power draw by approximately 50%.

The news may prove frustrating if you were hoping the OnePlus Watch would serve as a full competitor to Wear OS mainstays like Fossil’s timepieces. If you don’t care for a wider app selection and mainly use your smartwatch for workouts or calls, though, you might not mind. Many people are already worried about the fate of Wear OS as it is — this completely bypasses those concerns.