Fossil has started rolling out the Wear OS 3 update for its Skagen Falster Gen 6 smartwatches. The only catch is that it removes many watch faces that were previously available – yet another factor to consider when deciding to upgrade to Wear OS 3.
The disappearing watch faces were first noticed on Reddit (via 9to5Google), and The edge could confirm that the number of Skagen watch faces available will drop from about 20 to 5 once the upgrade is complete. It might not bother some people, but fashion is one of Fossil’s strengths as a smartwatch maker, so it’s a little disappointing to see.
Otherwise, Wear OS 3 on the Falster Gen 6 is very similar to what you’ll find on Fossil’s new Gen 6 Wellness Edition. That makes sense considering they have the same hardware under the hood. This version of Wear OS 3 is nothing special. It’s much like what you see on the Pixel Watch, except with Fossil’s various battery-saving modes and minus the Fitbit integration.
However, there are a few things to keep in mind. You’ll need to download a separate Skagen app once you’ve upgraded and removed the old Wear OS app from your phone. This has been the case with all Wear OS 3 watches to date, including the Montblanc Summit 3 and Gen 6 Wellness Edition. It’s a bit odd that Fossil chooses to offer a separate app for Skagen, but it will probably make things less confusing.
Alexa is the virtual assistant here instead of Google Assistant
It also lacks Google Assistant, which remains absent from watches other than Samsung and Google Wear OS 3. Fossil lets you use Alexa instead, but that’s a reason to hold off on upgrading if your entire smart home revolves around Google Assistant, for example is built.
The upgrade is optional and don’t worry if you don’t already see it on your watch. Keep an eye out for updates and you should see a notification appear on your watch. Or you can check by going to Settings, scrolling down to Systems and tapping About and finally System Updates.
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