Ahead Of The Apple Watch Launch, Google Rolls Out Android Wear Updates

Just in time for the release of Apple’s much-anticipated Apple Watch, which will release this coming Friday, Google has rolled out a massive update to its Google Wear platform, introducing some long-overdue features.

At the forefront, Google’s enabled Wi-Fi support, which means that you’ll be able to connect to your phone while on-the-go even if it’s not with you. That of course assumes that you’re connected to a Wi-Fi hotspot, so receiving updates while running seems unlikely.

Another key update is the ability to move through menus and messages with a flick of the wrist, saving you from having to use your finger. That doesn’t mean you’ll be totally fingers-off, though: you’ll also be able to draw emojis on the screen, to save the tedium of browsing through a list on such a small screen.

The update also refines the interface a bit, making it so that you’ll only be one screen away from your apps and contacts. Remedying a pet peeve of many is that Google is now allowing apps to remain active for as long as the user needs them, rather than hide them or turn the display off just because the user lowers their arm.

Outside of the emoji drawing feature, all of these new features are so simple that I would have expected them to have already existed. But, I guess when Apple is about to release an extremely hyped-up competitor to Android Wear, that’s about all the fuel one needs to push some new features out the door.