When Google launched Android wear a few years ago, no one knew what to make of that as the wearable market was still very small and even though it still is, it has grown steadily since then. Two years down the line, Google has decided to give Android Wear a reboot as it focuses on the future.
The company announced Android Wear 2.0 a few days ago at Google I/O 2016. Google chose the event to show us how mature Android Wear has become and give us a clue as to what it plans to do with it going forward.
Standalone Functionality
The biggest announcement with Android Wear 2.0 is probably its standalone functionality. This means that it will no longer require a smartphone as a companion. This makes it quite appealing since you will no longer be required to have your Android smartphone around to make use of your smartwatch. This will bring out the true ‘Smart’ feature of Android wear smartwatches.
Android wear 2.0
You will be able to connect your smartwatch to a Wi-Fi network but if you are out of range, you will be able to connect to the internet using cellular networks. With this, you will be able to keep your Android, iOS or Windows Phone device while still using an Android Wear smartwatch.
Material Design
Besides the standalone functionality, Google also announced some changes in regards to Android Wear 2.0. The company says that it took time to study how people are using their smartwatches and this is what has helped with the new design. The new design is aimed at providing users with more glanceable information and comes with improved messaging tools in addition to its fitness features.
These changes have just been announced but will be implemented later in the year.