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Android Wear Companion App Updated; Teardown Reveals Upcoming Features

Android Wear Companion App Updated; Teardown Reveals Upcoming Features

By Manish Singh | Updated: 9 November 2015 16:17 IST

Google has updated the Android Wear companion app. Bumping up the version number to 1.4, the update brings with it several features and while teardown hints at several more features that the company has could have planned for future updates.

As for the visible changes, the updated Android Wear companion app - which is currently not yet listed on Google Play India, and has gradually begun rolling out to devices - has made some amendments to the screen of the Settings app. The Cloud sync toggle has been moved from the main list to under Privacy & personal data. In there, you will also find a new toggle with the sole job to make it possible for you to send diagnostic information to Google.

The Settings screen now allows users to enable or disable tip cards in the main screen of the watch. The company has seemingly pulled the battery statistics, which is seeming a sad trade-off as many users found it useful.

More interestingly, the app teardown has revealed the features Google plans to bring in the upcoming releases. Folks at Android Police tore down the app to find that Google plans to add the call receiving ability to smartwatches that have a speaker, among several other features.

The teardown reveals that Google has accidentally left the changelog for an unnamed version - probably imminent - in v1.4 of the app. It reveals that Android Wear will soon allow you to send messages from WhatsApp, WeChat, and several other popular instant messaging clients. The company is also working on battery improvements and gesture support to facilitate one-handed operations. Here's the full changelog.

Ability to play sounds and take calls on watches with a speaker

Support for sending WhatsApp, WeChat, Viber, Telegram, and Nextplus messages with your voice or via touch

New gestures to control your watch with one hand

Battery life improvements

Language options for Mandarin, Cantonese, Indonesian, Polish, Dutch, and Thai

As the report notes, the support for Mandarin and Cantonese suggests that Android Wear launch in China is imminent as well.

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