Google recently announced closing down the Tile feature, which displays Google News headlines on Wear OS 2 smartwatches.
In 2019, Google made significant changes to Wear OS by adding Tiles. These Tiles provided condensed information from popular apps, and one of them focused on Google News. It showcased a summary of the day’s top headlines for easy access.
After the introduction of Wear OS 3 through the Galaxy Watch series and the Pixel Watch lineup, the feature known as the Google News Tile was not carried over to the updated system. It appeared that Google had plans to make up for this by launching a special Google News app for Wear OS watches in late 2023.
However, despite a Play Store listing and accompanying screenshots, that app never became available even after over a year had passed. However, the original Google News Tile continued functioning as usual for individuals using older watches still running on Wear OS 2. Nevertheless, the Tile’s existence appears to end, as the most recent update to the on-watch Wear OS application (version 2.66.107) includes an announcement regarding its closure.
Although this current removal is not significant, it is probable that Wear OS 2 watches will experience more reductions in capabilities in the future. Google previously stopped supporting Google Assistant on Wear OS 2 in August. As newer watches become more popular, it is normal for older features to decline gradually. It is yet to be determined what significance this has, if any, for introducing a newer Google News app on Wear OS.
