Google today announced that a new Android Wear update will soon be making its way to smartwatches. Android Wear 1.4 will add new gestures and voice commands as well as speaker support for smartwatches with speakers. All will make it easier to keep your smartphone in your bag or pocket.
You’re walking to meet a friend with coffee in hand. Or maybe it’s really cold outside, so you’re rocking a pair of mittens. Or maybe you’re in the middle of making dinner. There are plenty of times when you’ve got your hands full but still need to stay on top of reminders, messages, and calls. That’s why Android Wear includes things like voice actions and gestures. And today we’re expanding these hands-free options in a number of ways.
The new gestures include expanding a card, bringing up your apps, or returning home to your watch face with a push, lift or shake.
Google is also making it easier to send messages using voice commands. The update will allow you to use your voice to send messages from apps like Google Hangouts, Nextplus, Telegram, Viber, WeChat, and WhatsApp. For example, you will be able to say “OK Google, Send a WhatsApp message to Nathan: I’ll be right there.”
For smartwatches like the Huawei Watch and the ASUS ZenWatch 2 that come with a speaker, Google has added speaker support. It will be possible to make and take calls over Bluetooth as well as listen to both audio and video messages using apps like Glide.
The Android Wear 1.4 update will be rolling out “over the next few weeks.” Unfortunately, there are no specific timelines yet but a staged rollout is likely.
Source : Official Android Blog