Google Gets An Update For The Android Wear Software That Reduces Smart Watch’s Dependency On Smart Phones; But Smart Watch Should Be Connected To Wi-Fi

Google pitches another selling point for its Android Wear. On April 20, the search engine giant announced that Android Wear devices will allow users to connect their smart watch to a Wi-Fi network to receive updates like emails, appointments over the internet. The Android wear software update will be first available on the new LG Watch Urbane, according to reports.

The smart watch will be able to pull information from users’ phone provided it is connected to a cellular or Wi-Fi network. Once the smart watch is connected to a Wi-Fi network, users can receive notifications, use apps and send messages from the smart watch, even if the phone is connected to a different network, reports CNET.

As per the CNET report, the Wi-Fi support for Android Wear will be the key feature of Google’s new update. Besides that, Google is also coming up with a hands-free feature which allows users to make slight movement to the left and right to navigate back and forth between pages on the watch and it also allows you to draw emojis on the screen, reports CNET.

Google’s approach to establish a strong presence in the wearable segment

Google’s announcement about the new feature comes just few days before the official launch of Apple Watch, which has run out of stock owing to high demand from customers worldwide. Besides Google and Apple, tech vendors like LG, Samsung, Huawei, Sony, Motorola, Asus, to name a few, have entered the smart watch segment too.

Google has been working towards developing an Android Wear app that can be used on iPhones. If the app, which is likely to be unveiled at the Google I/O developers’ conference in May, is acceptable to Apple for inclusion in its Apple App Store, Google will not only be able to pair Android smart watches to iPhones but will also get an opportunity to tap a huge market that is already under Apple’s kitty. In the final quarter of 2014, Apple sold 74.5 million units of iPhones.

Going by numbers, which gives a good reason for Google and Apple to invest in wearable segment, in 2014, nearly 20 million wearable devices were shipped and by end of 2015, the numbers will stand at 45.7 million, predicts research firm IDC. As per research firm Canalys, Android Wear captured over 16 percent of the total ‘smart wearable bands’ market last year.

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