Google's new partnership could be the cure for Wear OS's health data headaches

What you need to know

• Google, Masimo, and Qualcomm are working together to boost health tracking on Wear OS with new, premium features.
• Google’s new partnership means it has licensed Masimo’s blood oxygen tech, plus other health features.
• Masimo’s new platform will work well with Wear OS, providing accurate health tracking and smooth Android syncing.
• Manufacturers can design their smartwatch exteriors and interfaces, but Masimo handles the internal tech design and testing.

Google and Masimo have teamed up to create a reference framework that helps manufacturers speed up the development of Wear OS smartwatches.

You might remember Masimo as the company that sued Apple, pushing for an import ban on the Apple Watch. The medical tech company claimed Apple used its blood oxygen tracking technology without permission.

Sales of the Apple Watch were briefly halted, but instead of agreeing to a licensing deal, Apple disabled the blood oxygen feature across all Watch models to ease the legal tensions.

Recently, Google enlisted Masimo and Qualcomm to create health-focused reference platforms for Wear OS smartwatches (via 9to5Google ). This partnership aims to boost Google’s vision for advanced health tracking and bringing premium features to its wearable platform.

While Google takes charge of the Wear OS experience, the smartwatch makers are still responsible for building and integrating fitness tracking from scratch.

The variety of health tracking options across different price ranges benefits consumers but also leaves room for cost-cutting by manufacturers. The challenge is that it’s tough for users to determine how effective or reliable these features are before buying.

Thanks to the new partnership, Google has secured a license for Masimo's blood oxygen tracking tech that Apple sidestepped, along with a range of other health features.

As per Masimo’s press release , the new reference platform is designed to fit right in with the Wear OS ecosystem. It offers a bunch of health tracking tools, such as Masimo’s biosensing tech, that aim for accurate data and easy syncing with Android phones.

According to the announcement, manufacturers using the new reference platforms and Masimo’s tech can still design and build their smartwatch exteriors and user interfaces as they like. But for the internal parts, like Snapdragon chips and Masimo’s biosensors, Masimo will take care of all the design, production, and testing.