Android Wear Adds Speaker Support, More Gesture Controls

Google has announced an Android Wear update that boosts hands-free features for wearables running the software. These include the ability to navigate through smartwatches using gestures rather than swipes and taps, as well as voice-based message sending and support for speakers. The features, which will be arriving to devices in the near future, make it a little easier to use wearables when your hands are full.

Android Wear, of course, is the Android-based system running on many smartwatches, including Motorola's beautiful 360 and ASUS' ZenWatch 2. Because it's on your wrist, you can only ever interact with it using a single hand, and there are times that hand is full. Gesture control means you can do both at once.

The new update will be rolling out in the next few weeks, according to Google, and will bring with it support for speakers. With that support, Android Wear will allow those with speaker-equipped wearables to listen to audio and video messages, and to make and take calls via Bluetooth through the wearable. The Huawei Watch is one example of a model that will benefit from this.

In addition, Android Wear will allow users to use their voice to messages through a bunch of apps, including WhatsApp and Hangouts. The message works with an OK Google voice command, such as "OK Google, send a Telegram message to John Doe: I'm on my way." Finally, there's new gesture control, including shaking, lifting, and pushing to return home, pull up apps, and expand cards.

Though the features are available starting today, they won't make their way to all Android Wear wearables immediately, so it might take a little while for you to see the changes.

SOURCE: Android Blog