Fossil Gen 6 Wear OS 3 update rolling out, but there’s a catch

Wear OS 3 has begun rolling out to Fossil Gen 6 smartwatches, but there’s a big catch. Fossil has confirmed via a post on Reddit that although the patiently awaited update is on the way, there are a few things missing and some considerations to take before proceeding.

Firstly, this update does not happen on its own. You will get a notification about the update, which you have to acknowledge by tapping the “update” button. Alternatively, you can also go to your Fossil Watch’s settings and check for any system updates there. More importantly, though, the update will wipe the watch clean and set it back to factory settings. This process cannot be undone, and once completed, you cannot go back to an older version of Wear OS. Fossil states that the reason for this is that Wear OS 3 is a big update that changes how and what you can pair with.

There are also changes to the way you set up the watch after the Wear OS 3 install. Instead of continuing the setup using the Google Wear OS app, it will now need to be done using the Fossil Smartwatches app. Furthermore, not only is the Wear OS app not needed, but it’s actually required to uninstall it unless you have another watch running Wear OS 2. You will also have to take care of pairing the device again to your phone’s Bluetooth.

Fossil acknowledges that this entire process takes some time and patience and recommends that you start it with the watch on the charger and somewhere where you can keep an eye on it for a while. Of course, this only applies to Gen 6 watches other than the Gen 6 Wellness Edition, which comes pre-loaded with Wear OS 3 already.

There are also some features that you would come to expect to be available to these watches on Wear OS 3 but sadly missing. These features are:

• No Google Assistant: The Assistant is still not available to any Qualcomm 4100-based watches, and Fossil is waiting on Google to provide an update on this. Alternatively, you can use Alexa.
• No pre-loaded Google Fit: Google Fit is available as an app, but it hasn’t been updated to work with the latest Wear Health Services, so Fossil isn’t preloading it just yet. Instead, Fossil is syncing Google Fit data through the Fossil app. Fossil also hopes that Fitbit for Wear OS 3 becomes available soon so they can include it on their watches.
• Google Wallet (formerly Google Pay) will not work with iOS devices at launch.

Although a torrid launch for sure, this update promises to bring many improvements to Fossil watches, such as improved third-party app support, a new and improved user interface, a new phone companion app, upgraded health and wellness tracking, and overall performance and stability improvements. If you own a Gen 6 Fossil smartwatch, let us know in the comments if you have proceeded with the Wear OS 3 upgrade and how the process worked for you.