Android fans are waiting for Android 5.0 to start hitting handsets. In the meantime, Google has been working on the Android Wear software, both for the smartwatches themselves and for the companion app used on Android phones. Phandroid got an early look at the new Android Wear app and shares some of what’s to be expected.
For starters, the new companion phone software, used to configure and communicate with an Android Watch, has Google‘s new Material Design look found throughout Android 5.0. So you’ll see all new icons and the old black background is gone, to be replaced with a flatter look with dark text on a white background. The app also shows how you’re using the internal storage on your watch and battery usage information.
Menus and cards on Android Wear watches themselves won’t have any major new looks but there will be more watch faces available as the official watch face API is expected to debut with the update. Up to now, developers and Android Wear device owners could create new faces but they weren’t optimized for power consumption; the new API will bring that and other possible functions to watch faces, such as weather icons.
Another improvement deals with dimsissed cards on Android Wear. Currently, if you swipe to dismiss an information blurb, it’s gone from the watch. Once updated with the newest software, you’ll have an option to swipe up and use an “undo” command. Also included will be more choices to manage the display brightness: Expect a new theater mode that disables the display until you tap the screen or a watch button.
Phandroid also found screen options to help make Android Wear watches more readable to some, including color inversion, large text and screen magnification choices. Lastly, the “OK, Google” voice interaction will start showing your most recently used commands, similar to the way Google Glass works. This should speed up the process of getting Android Wear to do what you want faster and without scrolling through an arbitrary, unchanging list.
Note that Google hasn’t officially announced or made this software, which will also rely on an updated Google Play Services app, available. I wouldn’t expect to see the software debut until Android 5.0 starts rolling out to Google Nexus devices — something I hope we’ll see as early as this week.



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