Hot on the heels of a report that Apple Inc. could launch a new iteration of the Apple Watch next month, Google LLC is upgrading its own wearable technology.

The company today unveiled an overhauled version of its Wear OS platform that will bring significant changes to the user experience. The new release introduces deep integration with the Alphabet Inc. subsidiary’s Google Assistant artificial intelligence, as well as faster access to information and key features.

It’s the Google Assistant integration that will likely make the biggest difference for device owners. Like Siri on the Apple Watch, the AI can now generate personalized information cards for users to help them plan out each day.

Google Assistant tailors the content to different situations. If a user checks their Wear OS device in the morning, for example, the AI can show the weather forecast for the day and warn if there are expected traffic delays. The service also can integrate with a person’s calendar to display forthcoming events. 

Google said that Wear OS provides more context-specific information as well. If a user is going on a business trip, Google Assistant can highlight restaurants near the chosen hotel. It also flags features that device owners haven’t tried yet at opportune times to help them make better use of their wearable.

The Google Assistant integration is joined by a revamped notification system. Wear OS now displays messages in a scrollable feed that enables users to quickly sift through new items and access Google’s Smart Reply feature. The capability, which came to Gmail earlier this year, makes it possible to answer a message quickly by selecting one of three automatically generated responses.

Lastly, the new Wear OS release brings faster access to Google Fit. Users can now bring up the health tracking app simply by swiping left on the interface. Google Fit also received a major upgrade this week that introduced two new activity tracking tools the company developed in collaboration with the American Heart Association and the World Health Organization. 

Google said that the new Wear OS features will roll out to users over the next month.  

Image: Google