Google is finally ready to officially release the second iteration of its smartwatch operating system — Android Wear 2.0 next month. There were already rumors that the tech behemoth was planning to debut the software update early in February. And we have a potential launch date for the same at our hands, courtesy of one of the most reliable sources.
According to the renowned Evan Blass, Google has planned the release of Android Wear 2.0 on February 9th. The said development in the release schedule was tweeted out by him a couple hours ago.
Mark your calendar: Android Wear 2.0 launches on February 9th.
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) January 17, 2017
The new operating system ‘Android Wear 2.0’ was first shown off to the masses at the Google I/O developer conference back in May’16. The tech behemoth had then announced that the update will be released to smartwatch users by late fall. But this release date was retracted from the schedule due to some quality shortcomings in the software. It had then sent out a statement saying that Android Wear 2.0 will roll out in early 2017. And here we are, in the middle of January, talking about the impending release.
Android Wear 2.0 is heavily focusing its attention on customization and standalone capabilities of the smartwatch. Google is now trying to make the watch operate independent of the smartphone with this software update. You’ll also not be required to connect to your phone to download apps and updates. The company has now baked in a full-fledged Play Store right within Android Wear 2.0 itself.
Though we might have received a tentative date for the release, we’re still in dark about when and what smartwatches will receive this much-awaited update. The older watches are said to be updated to this new software but what excites us more is the upcoming devices. Google has already confirmed that it plans to release a couple own-brand smartwatches this year. And this release will, hence, place the tech behemoth in the cross-hairs of Apple Watch.
