Google Planning To Make Android Wear Devices More Independent, Details Upcoming Updates

Google Planning To Make Android Wear Devices

Android Wear has really been picking up lately. Announced at Google I/O developer conference this year, it has steadily been gaining traction from hardware partners. It debuted with the LG G Watch and the Samsung Gear Live, but now we have many new smart wearable products from different manufacturers running Android Wear. A lot of them have been announced at the IFA exhibition in Berlin this week like the Asus ZenWatch, Sony SmartWatch 3, and the Moto 360.

Google has detailed its plans for Android Wear and the updates that it will push this year. In a post on its official blog, Google has described how it wants Android Wear products get more stuff done and function more independently. Offline music playback and GPS support will be the first two major features that Google is planning to bring out soon. You will no longer need to have your smartphone with you to listen to your favorite music, all you need to do is plug in a Bluetooth headphone and enjoy music directly from your Android Wear smartwatch. With the GPS you can track your distance and average speed as well.

The next update is said to bring downloadable watch faces so you choose from various home screen designs for your smartwatch and customize what information you want it to display. New watch faces would be available soon and Google says developers are already working on making them available on Google Play. Apart from these new features, Google has reiterated that it is committed to improving the overall user experience and will continue to refine Android Wear in the future. They also indicate that more Android Wear products will be launching in the near future, expanding choices for the consumer.

The Moto 360, Asus ZenWatch, LG G Watch R, and Sony SmartWatch 3 have been highlighted as the Android wearable devices that will be receiving the updates. Don’t worry though, the older Android Wear smartwatches will also be receiving the updates.

This does indicate that Google is very serious about Android Wear and does not want to market them as mere accessories but standalone devices that can perform many of the tasks that your smartphone does.