Upcoming Android Wear updates coming to make devices more independent
Google knows that the competition in the wearables space is only going to get more intense with new Samsung Tizen devices, and the often rumored range of iWatch devices. So, that means it will have to continue iterating the Android Wear software fast enough to keep ahead; and, a new interview lets us in on those plans a bit.
The information comes from David Singleton, Google's engineering director for Android Wear and Vice President of Engineering for Android Hiroshi Lockheimer, speaking to CNET. The plan is for Google to release multiple updates to Android Wear by the end of the year. The first update will be to improve navigation and voice commands and is planned to be released this week, but there are also bigger plans on the horizon that will help to make your smartwatch a bit more independent.
The main set of changes detailed by the Google engineers will make it so you could go for a run and leave your phone at home. This would be done first by allowing your smartwatch to connect directly to a Bluetooth headset and play music locally. Beyond that, GPS support would be added so the watch could track your location as you go. No need for a phone to be involved. Google is also still working on the official API for custom watch faces, even though plenty of developers have created custom faces already.
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