The most useful and practical thing in a smartwatch is to use it as a method of interaction with your smartphone when you have your hands full; premise Android Wear has failed to fulfill entirely on the most popular messaging applications. But something has changed with the new update that Google has for Android Wear.
It has emphasized better use of gesture and voice to achieve more complex actions made in less time. Surfing the web and the watch is now easier thanks to new gestures can expand via card (the cards of Android Wear), return to the main screen or change the clock with one click, lifting your wrist or shaking. Google wants to be connected without removing your smartphone from your pocket.
Eventually your voice will give a better use from your smartwatch. Starting today, Android Wear lets you answer and send text messages with your voice in Hangouts, Telegram, WhatsApp, Viber and WeChat. One might say, for example: “Ok Google, send WhatsApp message to Alice Yang: Let’s drink a beer”. Now the speaker gets a better reception, allowing you to call from your watch screen if you have speakers or through Bluetooth headphones and speakers. The Huawei Watch has speaker, so you can make calls without the speaker of the smartphone in that case.
The update starts today and will gradually be arriving to all Android Wear smartwatches in the coming weeks, including Casio Smart Outdoor or Huawei Watch for women. This is version 1.4, which has as main objective to keep abreast of our notifications, messages, reminders and calls no matter we have hands full through options such as hands-free voice commands and gestures.
Google has announced through its official blog all the new features included in Android Wear 1.4 which is the equivalent of Android in smartwatches for Marshmallow. If you have a compatible wearable, these developments are going to find you when you get the update: navigating the clock with new gestures, send messages with voice commands and make calls and listen to messages using the loudspeaker.