Samsung’s apps present how Galaxy Aero might work with out Wear OS

Samsung seems to be engaged on a quite totally different form of Galaxy smartwatch, one which drops Wear OS in favour of a lighter RTOS platform. We dug by means of the most recent Samsung Health and Galaxy Wearable apps, and whereas neither offers away the Aero itself, they reveal how such a watch might match into Samsung’s current ecosystem.

The Galaxy Aero first surfaced earlier this month, when SamMobile reported discovering references to an unreleased Samsung wearable contained in the Galaxy Wearable app. Two strings stood out: Galaxy Aero and galaxy_rtos_watch.

That second reference is the extra attention-grabbing one. Samsung’s mainstream Galaxy Watches run Wear OS, whereas its easier Galaxy Fit units use a a lot lighter real-time working system. Calling one thing galaxy_rtos_watch suggests Aero isn’t merely one other health band with a brand new identify.

SamMobile recommended the machine might ultimately sit someplace between the upcoming Galaxy Fit 4 and the Galaxy Watch FE. Nothing concerning the last identify, worth, form or launch date has been confirmed, so Aero might nonetheless change significantly earlier than launch.

But after digging by means of two of Samsung’s present wearable apps, the concept of an RTOS Galaxy watch doesn’t look significantly far-fetched.

Samsung Health is already constructed to deal with RTOS wearables

We began with Samsung Health 7.00.6.004. There is not any direct point out of Galaxy Aero within the APK, and there’s no hidden galaxy_rtos_watch string both.

What Samsung Health does comprise is current infrastructure for RTOS units.

One bundle referenced by the app is:

com.samsung.rtosfit.app.shealth.sport

Tracing that bundle by means of the code results in Samsung’s older Galaxy Fit, Galaxy Fit e and Galaxy Fit2 units. So this isn’t secret Aero help that Samsung by chance left uncovered. It is current RTOS plumbing.

More curiously, Samsung Health doesn’t want each wearable to be fully hardcoded. Its functionality system reads info equipped by linked units, together with fields similar to os, modelName, tracker_feature and sleep-related capabilities.

The operating-system dealing with particularly recognises rtos.

That might turn into vital for Aero. Samsung Health already is aware of how you can obtain functionality info from an RTOS wearable, that means Samsung wouldn’t essentially want a separate well being platform simply because the machine doesn’t run Wear OS.

Galaxy Wearable reveals one other piece of the puzzle

We additionally pulled aside Galaxy Wearable 2.2.70.26060861.

This explicit model doesn’t comprise both Galaxy Aero or galaxy_rtos_watch. That may sound like proof towards the unique discovering, however the APK itself offers a great purpose why that conclusion could be untimely.

Buried contained in the app are references to:

galaxy_wearable_configuration.json

and:

device_lists

There are additionally code paths containing messages similar to added new machine from the server and will use information from the server.

In different phrases, the listing of Samsung wearables doesn’t should be frozen contained in the APK that somebody downloads from the Play Store or Galaxy Store. Samsung can provide newer machine definitions by means of its servers.

So the absence of Aero from our APK isn’t particularly stunning. The info SamMobile discovered seems to be newer than at the very least a number of the product information contained on this public construct, whether or not that got here from a more recent app model, Samsung’s server configuration or one other a part of the Galaxy Wearable codebase.

Aero might fill a niche Samsung hasn’t actually tackled

The greater query is why Samsung would make this machine in any respect.

Aero might give Samsung one thing that Galaxy Watch has at all times struggled to ship: smartwatch-style {hardware} with genuinely lengthy battery life. Dropping Wear OS would scale back processor, reminiscence and energy necessities significantly, doubtlessly permitting Samsung to focus on every week or extra between expenses quite than the a lot shorter endurance anticipated from a full Wear OS watch.

There could be compromises. An RTOS machine wouldn’t essentially supply the Play Store, the identical third-party app help or all of the software program flexibility of the present Galaxy Watch9. Samsung would successfully be selecting battery life and ease over working a miniature Android pc on the wrist.

That trade-off isn’t essentially a nasty one.

There is loads of area between a fundamental health band and a full smartwatch. Huawei, Amazfit and others have proven that watches can supply AMOLED shows, notifications, GPS, well being monitoring, calls and prolonged battery life with no need Wear OS. Aero might be Samsung’s try on the identical formulation.