On the eve of Apple Watch’s controversial “launch,” Google announces a large feature update for Android Wear. As is typical for Android devices, the update will be rolling out over the next couple of weeks. The new update adds three new marquee features to the wearable operating system.
First is the ability for the watch to remotely operate via WiFi. As long as the watch has a wifi connection and the phone has a data connection, they do not need to be within Bluetooth range for the watch to work. It is unknown if any current Android Wear watches have the appropriate hardware to support this feature, but it is a safe bet that the next round of devices will.
Second is something called Always-On. When Android Wear watches are inactive, they have always displayed a simplified black and white watch face. With this software update, you can have whatever app you are currently using stay on the screen when you put your wrist down. A simplified black and white view of the app’s information will be displayed. When you raise your wrist, you will immediately be returned to the app you were using. Very handy for things like grocery lists!
Speaking of apps, there is now an easier way to launch them. Instead of having to dig several layers deep to get to the app launcher, the user now simply taps on the watch face. This reveals three sliding panes displaying apps, contacts, and actions. The launcher isn’t the only usability improvement with the new update; users can now advance through multiple notifications without touching the screen. Simply raise your wrist to turn on the display and then flick your wrist away from you to move through the notifications. Finally, users can now sketch an emoji to message to a friend.
The timing of this update certainly seems designed to create some counter-noise to the Apple Watch launch this week. While some of these updates are similar to features of the Apple Watch (Apple’s sketching and ability for the watch to work when on the same wifi network as the phone), the others are fantastic improvements that Android Wear users should find enhancing their daily use.
