Tag Heuer has announced that its luxurious Calibre E4 smartwatch range is all set to receive an update to Google’s Wear OS 3 software, and that it will bring with it significant changes.
Google announced Wear OS 3 in May 2021, while Tag Heuer released the 42mm Connected Calibre E4 and 45mm Connected Calibre E4 in 2022, so the update has been a long time coming.
Andy Boxall/Digital Trends
The new software promises to change the way your Tag Heuer smartwatch looks and operates. The user interface has been entirely redesigned to make it easier and faster to use, from the notification view to the quick settings shade pulled down from the top of the main watch face screen. Expect it to look and feel very different from the way it does now. You can get a taste of what’s to come by looking at how different Wear OS 3 is on two competing models.
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Swipe on the screen, and you’ll be greeted by customizable tiles. There are new complications to add to different watch faces, and the buttons can also be configured. The lower button on the watch’s case now opens a recent app view by default, so it’s quicker to jump back into recently used apps.
But it’s not all about the way Wear OS looks on your watch — it’s also about the app you use on your phone.
New Tag Heuer Connected app
Porsche watch face Andy Boxall/Digital Trends
When the update is complete, you’ll have to delete the old Wear OS app on your phone and install a new Tag Heuer Connected app, as your smartwatch will use this to pair and sync with your phone. It apparently will only take five minutes to set the newly updated smartwatch up. The companion app lets you customize the watch’s look and view data from all your stored activity sessions. This all sounds quite familiar, as it’s a similar experience to the one we had with the Montblanc Summit 3, which was released with Wear OS 3 already installed.
Tag Heuer will also include a new feature with the app called Tag Heuer Golf Full Shot Tracking, which includes shot detection, distance measurement, and shot recording. Although it has not shared any more details about this feature, it indicates it’s just the first in a series of new features enabled by Wear OS 3 and the Tag Heuer Connected app.
It’s important to understand that the Wear OS 3 update is so transformative that it will completely reset your smartwatch during the update process, due in part to the requirement to use the new companion app. Your smartwatch will alert you when the update is ready, but it appears it won’t be fully released much before March 27. Even then, expect the update to reach compatible smartwatches in sequence and not all at once.
Tag Heuer and Google’s Wear OS 3 update is compatible with all the Calibre E4 smartwatches, including the recently released Sport Edition, Golf Edition, and the Porsche special edition. If you own an older Tag Heuer Connected smartwatch, which isn’t going to get the update, the company runs a trade-in program to encourage you to update to a newer model, which may be an incentive if you’re tempted by the new software.