On April 30, 2024, Mishaal Rahman revealed that Google is planning to introduce a significant new feature in Android 15, which enables the control of media outputs on smartphones via paired Pixel Watches running Wear OS.
This advancement means that users, after connecting their Wear OS watches and Android phones, can manage media playback directly from their watches without the need to interact with their phones to switch media inputs.
When pairing an Android phone with a Wear OS smartwatch, a companion app on the phone typically allows users to adjust various settings comfortably on the phone’s larger screen and synchronize crucial data such as notifications, calls, and messages.
Before these data can be collected and transmitted, the companion app requires extensive permissions from the phone.
In Android 15, the companion app must apply for a new platform permission named MEDIA_ROUTING_CONTROL to manipulate the smartwatch.
This permission grants the app access to a list of available devices and controls which device transmits audio or video from other applications.
For instance, when watching a video on a phone and using speakers for audio, one can switch to headphones without interrupting the video, by simply using the watch.
Similarly, if playing music through the phone’s speakers in the kitchen, it can be seamlessly transferred to a smart speaker in the living room with a few taps on the watch.
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