Google to finally release Android Wear 2.0 in February
Google to finally release Android Wear 2.0 in February
Google has started notifying developers of the release date for Android Wear 2.0, which has been delayed since September last year. The new release date for the smartwatch operating system is February, although the company hasn’t provided a fixed date.
Android Wear 2.0, which was originally unveiled at Google I/O in May 2016, added a variety of new features aimed at making smartwatches more accessible, functional, and independent. One of the features removes the need for a connected smartphone.
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When September hit, Google revealed that it would be delaying the update to fix some of the bugs that had arisen in developer builds. Some took this as Google refocusing efforts away from the wearables market, which firmly rejected Android Wear.
Google ready to hit the release button
It appears that is not the case and Google is ready to release the second version of its OS, which will come alongside two Nexus-like smartwatches. Google has said it will be working with a previous collaborator to build the devices, and according to The Verge these will not be Pixel or Google branded.
The first few months of Wear 2.0’s launch will be an interesting time, to see if manufacturers approve or reject the new software. LG, Motorola, and a few other collaborators have launched several Wear devices, but none have made huge inroads in the market.
Samsung, the largest Android phone manufacturer, even started using Tizen OS, its own operating system, instead of Wear in 2015. It continued this in 2016 with the Gear S2 and Gear Fit 2, which both run Tizen OS.
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