Wear OS is getting a feature that no one asked for - Android

It's not clear what utility this would serve.

What you need to know

• Google is working on a screen recording feature for Wear OS.
• Code strings hinting at this are present on the Wear OS watch companion app.
• Screen recording will also be coming to the Chrome OS platform next month.

Google is said to be testing a new screen recording feature for Wear OS devices. When this rolls out, you'll be able to capture a screen recording of your interactions with your smartwatch, and later export it to your smartphone via the Android share sheet.

Today's report comes from XDA Developers who delved into the newest builds of the Wear OS companion app and found the following code strings:

<string name="screen_recording_email_subject">Wear OS Screen Recording</string> <string name="screen_recording_wearable_notification_text">Tap to send.</string> <string name="screen_recording_wearable_notification_title">Ready to send watch screen recording.</string>

From the strings, it certainly sounds like screen recording is on its way, and its inclusion in code may indicate that it's coming sooner rather than later. You can take screenshots on Wear OS via the Wear OS app, so it stands to reason that you'll be able to do so there.

Google brought screen recording to Android with Android 11, it also plans on adding the feature to Chrome OS. While there's a use case for the feature on Chromebooks and phones, there isn't a really clear one for smartwatches. One that pops to mind is troubleshooting, but it all depends on how screen recording will be implemented when it rolls out.

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