We took a first look at some of the new standout features in Wear OS5, Google's next-generation smartwatch operating system. In addition to major advances in the power consumption field, fitness tracking — especially for runners — will see some small but notable improvements. 

Announced at Google I/O2024, Wear OS5 will debut additional motion data including indicators on ground contact time, stride length, vertical vibration and vertical ratio. 

While the first two are pretty self-evident, vertical vibration refers to your "bounce" during a run or how much you lift off the ground. The vertical ratio is how much your body moves up and down compared to the length of your stride. 

It's worth calling that Google is a bit late to the party with these metrics, but I'm glad to be added nonetheless. Still, other popular fitness tracking devices have long shared this kind of information, such as garmin Forerunner265, the best fitness tracker for runners, and Apple Watch running WatchOS9 or later. 

Wear OS5 also promises more intelligent health-related alerts, especially for those related to workout goals. Put another way, the operating system should be a thing of the past with false positives and reducant alerts to help you achieve your fitness goals. 

For example, you want to be notified when your heart rate enters zone 5 during exercise. In previous Wear OS versions, you may receive a flurry of alerts if you straddle the line between zones 4 and 5. With Wear OS5, the first time you cross the threshold and enter zone 5, you'll see a warning again after the configurable time has elapsed.

These new running metrics and fine-tuned fitness alerts welcome adjustments to Google's smartwatch operating system. And while they're not necessarily groundbreaking, they bring more in line with the competition. 

The question is whether Google will immediately allow a Wear OS partner named Samsung access to these new features. Seeing the new TicWatch Pro5Enduro still stuck on Wear OS3, my guess is no.