Android’s next big update, Android 15, promises deeper integration between smartphones and smartwatches. Thanks to new permissions, the Pixel Watch could control media streamed on different devices directly from your wrist.
Currently, users of connected watches under Wear OSlike the Galaxy Watch 6, Pixel Watch 2, have to take out their phone to change audio output device. If you want to switch from headphones to speakers, then you need take out your smartphone, unlock it and make the selection. This constraint can sometimes be annoying, especially when our watches can already be used to control media playback.
In the Android 15 beta, a new permission has been integrated. This permission allows applications on connected watches to manage media routing, such as audios and videos, coming from other applications on the smartphone. A line of code spotted in this release suggests that this feature is currently being tested. This heralds a future where users will be able to control these settings directly from their watch, ultimately utilizing their full potential.
Android 15 connected watches will no longer be simple remote controls
This new capability under Android 15 could considerably improve users’ daily lives by simplifying connected device management. For example, by activating this feature on a Pixel Watch, you can easily switch audio between different connected devices like headphones or speakers, without having to handle your smartphone unnecessarily.
This functionality could prove extremely practical in contexts where using a phone is not ideal. Imagine, for example, that you are on public transport and want to quickly share the music you are listening to with a friend next to you. With a click on your watch, you will avoid dropping your smartphone and you will not need to pass one of your headphones to it.
However, even though the code to support this feature has been seen on the smartphone side, it is not yet clear when and how it will be implemented in smartwatches. We can already imagine that they will require just an update to fully exploit these new permissions.
Source: androidauthority