Google is set to roll out several updates to its Android Wear OS before the year’s end.
With Android Wear devices due to grow in number, as more manufacturers release wearables carrying the OS, Google aims to continuously update its platform.
In a revealing interview with CNET, Android execs David Singleton and Hiroshi Lockheimer unveiled some of the features that will soon be added to Android Wear.
One of the first updates in the pipeline will let users pair their smartwatch with a Bluetooth headset, allowing users to listen to music stored on their device.
Another feature to be added will be GPS support, which will be limited to the devices that already carry the GPS hardware.
Alongside those upgrades, Singleton added that new Android Wear watch faces (a function revealed in July) may also be available this year via the Google Play Store.
Singleton had the following to say about the custom watch faces: “For example, if you’re taking a hike, maybe it’s interesting to out the specific distance you’ve traveled right there on the watch face.
“If you’re someone who cares about a specific stock or specific score of a sports team, maybe you can have a sports team watch face and put their latest score right there on the watch face.”
Without divulging the exact release dates for the individual updates, Singleton did reveal that navigational support and improved voice action experience will be rolled out this week.
Singleton and Lockheimer claim that thousands of developers are currently developing apps for Android Wear.
They also demonstrated a cool-sounding app that allows you to play your guitar with your smartwatch. The unnamed app uses your smartphone as a speaker and works via gesture controls, allowing users to strum their hands over their device to create guitar sounds.
The latest Android Wear smartwatch, the Motorola Moto 360, is set to launch later this week.
