The prompts also advise to use soap. The alerts are sent from Google’s Clock app for WearOS, and can be disabled by holding down the notification if desired.
It’s a small but clever update from Google that will hopefully encourage a few more people out there to adhere to hygiene advice during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Some people might find it obtrusive though, and Apple has not moved to bring in anything similar on its Apple Watch or iOS devices. It’s notable Google is only doing its notifications for wearables and not phones – perhaps WearOS is a test bed for wider distribution to other platforms.
Apple and Google are working together on a contract tracing system that uses Bluetooth to help track positive Covid-19 cases with others they may have come into contact with.
Henry is Tech Advisor’s Phones Editor, ensuring he and the team covers and reviews every smartphone worth knowing about for readers and viewers all over the world. He spends a lot of time moving between different handsets and shouting at WhatsApp to support multiple devices at once.
