Looks like Google’s Android Wear isn’t letting Apple have all of the fun in wearables. Earlier this morning, they announced a bug update coming to Android Wear within the coming weeks. This will bring forth some very interesting features to Google’s wearable OS.
Google beefs up Android Wear to better compete w/ the Apple Watch.
For starters, Google has an always-on mode for apps like having the watch face stay on until you need it off. This comes in handy for using apps for mapping directions, check ing off things on a list, and so forth. If you were concerned about battery life, Google allows apps to go Black & White instead of color to help your watch last longer.
Next up on the list is Wi-Fi support. This means no longer having to rely on strictly Bluetooth for connectivity. This allows you to still get notifications after you disconnect your watch from your phone and still maintaining a data connection for notifications and such.
Google also added a new wrist-flick gesture as a hands-free way to scroll through your timeline. A simple wrist twist to go form one card to another. The entire UI for Android Wear is going through some changes as well. You will get 3 columns to give you quicker access to the items you need. The start screen gives you a list of apps you can access, the middle is now your contacts, and the right screen is your ‘Speak Now’ & Settings screen.
Google adds an actual noteworthy feature to drawing on your smartwatch. You will soon be able to draw an emoji option when responding to a message. Not to throw shade but definitely a bit more useful than drawing messages on other wearables.
