Google officially unveiled the Android Wear 2.0 during its Google I/O event and as stated in a report from The Verge, this new mobile OS for smart watches introduces several changes and improvements to optimize ease of use and functionality, hinting that Google is striving to catch up with what Apple has already achieved.
According to the report, Android Wear 2.0 has seen several changes that makes the OS much easier and quicker to use. Swiping a watch's screen no longer functions as a "back" function now that users can simply tap on the physical button of a watch to accomplish this. However, it is undetermined how this works on smart watches that lack a physical button or dial.
Swiping from the top also leads to a full menu of options, guaranteeing that users no longer need to flip through several pages just to customize their watch's settings. Simply tapping the physical button when there is no other menu open will access the list of apps, with the most recently opened apps listed on top.
Complications, which are little widgets of information that can be placed on the watch face, are also accessible for Android Wear 2.0. As shown in a demo video from Droid Life, users need to simply swipe quickly on the watch face then tap the complications menu button to choose which widgets will be placed on the watch face.
Some of the complications shown are the widgets for the date and a pedometer. It is explained that more complications will become available when more developers start releasing their own apps that are Android Wear 2.0 compatible.
At the time being Android Wear 2.0 is scheduled to launch in the fall, although a more specific release window has not yet been announced. The developer preview is only accessible for the Huawei Watch and LG Watch Urbane Second Edition but it is noted that these are previews and may still come with bugs that need to be fixed in the final version.
