Quick Read
- Wear OS fitness trackers remain largely inaccessible for wheelchair users due to sensor and algorithm limitations.
- Garmin, Apple, Samsung, and Google have made attempts to improve accessibility, but results are still inconsistent.
- The market for dedicated wheelchair-friendly wearables is small, limiting research and development.
- A recent bug disabled the Google Weather app on older Wear OS devices, with no immediate fix available.
- Industry advances remain incremental, with true inclusivity and reliability still elusive.
Wear OS Struggles to Serve Wheelchair Users
Wearable technology has made impressive strides over the past decade, promising users a wealth of health insights and daily conveniences right from their wrists. Yet, for a significant segment of the population—wheelchair users—the experience remains frustratingly incomplete. As Android Central recently highlighted, there are no truly great wearable options for people who rely on wheelchairs, and the reasons run deeper than mere oversight.
The core issue is technological: most fitness trackers, including those powered by Wear OS, rely heavily on accelerometers to detect the rhythmic movements of walking or running. These sensors, and the algorithms behind them, were designed with able-bodied users in mind. When adapted for wheelchair use, they often misinterpret arm and torso motions, leading to wildly inaccurate step counts and calorie estimations. The result? Data that can be both over- and underestimated, making it unreliable for setting or achieving fitness goals.
Some manufacturers, like Garmin, have attempted to address these shortcomings with dedicated “Wheelchair Mode” algorithms. Apple, Samsung, and Google are also investing in improvements, but so far, the solutions are far from perfect. Even when software tries to compensate, the sensors themselves aren’t built to capture the nuances of upper-body movement required for wheelchair mobility.
This challenge isn’t just about hardware. It’s compounded by a historic lack of research and market focus. The University of Pittsburgh’s Human Engineering Research Lab is pioneering new tracking systems tailored for ambulatory issues, experimenting with sensors placed on the wrist, face, and wheelchair itself. However, such innovation is slow to reach mainstream products, partly due to limited market demand and high development costs.
Market Realities: Why Progress Remains Slow
Beyond technical hurdles, the business case for dedicated wheelchair-friendly wearables remains weak. While there are more people with mobility impairments than most realize, their numbers are still small compared to the overall consumer electronics market. Many in the wheelchair community aren’t interested in fitness tracking at all, further shrinking the potential user base.
For every athlete pushing the boundaries in wheel-basketball, dozens more see little utility in a device that rarely accommodates their needs—or a world that often overlooks them entirely. As a result, major tech firms face little incentive to invest the time and resources necessary to create truly inclusive devices. The result is a cycle of underwhelming options and unmet needs.
For now, users like Jerry (as profiled in Android Central) make do with imperfect solutions, relying on consistency rather than accuracy. As Jerry notes, “I’m just happy that big tech hasn’t forgotten about me, even if they’re taking a long time to produce mediocre results.” That sentiment reflects a broader reality: progress exists, but it’s incremental and rarely transformative.
Reliability Issues Hit Wear OS Users: The Google Weather Outage
Accessibility isn’t the only concern for Wear OS owners in 2025. Recently, a widespread bug crippled the Google Weather app on older smartwatches, including the original Pixel Watch and Samsung Galaxy Watch models. Instead of providing basic forecasts, the app displayed endless loading screens and download errors, leaving users without essential weather information.
According to Android Central and reports on Reddit, the outage also affected related tiles—Forecast, Sun, and UV Index—all failing to load or retrieve location data. Google’s support team confirmed the problem, attributing it to a software update meant for newer Wear OS versions. In an attempt to phase out legacy apps and encourage users to switch to manufacturer-specific solutions, Google inadvertently broke compatibility with older devices.
The company has promised a fix via a future firmware update, but no timeline has been provided. For affected users, this means waiting in uncertainty while their devices fail at basic tasks. It’s a stark reminder that, for all the promise of wearable tech, reliability can still fall short of expectations.
Industry Response: Incremental Changes, Ongoing Frustration
Major players like Apple, Samsung, and Google continue to iterate on both hardware and software, but their efforts have yet to deliver a breakthrough for either accessibility or reliability. While new algorithms and device features emerge each year, they rarely address the fundamental needs of users with disabilities—or those relying on older hardware.
Research initiatives, such as those at the University of Pittsburgh, offer hope for the future. Their work suggests that truly inclusive tracking will require a reimagining of wearable technology itself, possibly leading to entirely new categories of devices. Until then, most users will have to rely on imperfect solutions and hope for gradual improvement.
In 2025, Wear OS exemplifies both the promise and the pitfalls of modern wearable technology: remarkable advances for many, yet persistent blind spots for others. The struggles faced by wheelchair users and those relying on older devices underscore the urgent need for broader industry focus and deeper innovation. Only by addressing these gaps can wearables fulfill their potential as truly universal tools.