Facebook Smartwatch With Social Media Features Tipped To Launch In 2022

Facebook may be planning to launch a smartwatch in 2022, according to a new report, marking yet another hardware project for the social media company. As you'd expect, the smartwatch will reportedly tie in with the Facebook platform, enabling users to access the service in addition to more general wearable features like fitness tracking.

Smartwatches have become a common personal gadget and it's no surprise that Facebook may be eyeing the technology for future hardware products. The social media company has already dabbled with such products, the most notable being its Portal smart displays.

The new information comes from sources speaking with The Information, which claims the alleged Facebook smartwatch may provide users with limited access to the social media services, as well as unspecified health and fitness features.

The report claims that Facebook's smartwatch will feature a cellular connection, as well as messaging capabilities. The model will reportedly be powered by a version of Android. How extensively the smartwatch may tie into Facebook's family of services — including Instagram and WhatsApp — is unclear.

Assuming the sources are correct and everything goes as allegedly planned, we may see Facebook launch its smartwatch sometime next year with an upgraded model arriving in 2023. The big question, of course, is whether consumers will be interested in such a product.

Privacy concerns related to Facebook have, for example, prompted a mass exodus from WhatsApp, and it's yet to be seen whether consumers will be interested in wearing a device linked to the company's services. Facebook would likewise be up against more established players in the market, including Apple and Samsung, both of which offer smartwatches with support for the social media platform.