Google to launch smartwatch OS Android Wear 2.0 in February
The next iteration of Google’s smartwatch OS, Android Wear 2.0, will be released to the public in February, developers have been told. Google is trying to ensure that developers update their apps to allow them to run in standalone mode, without having to depend on a connected smartphone to connect to Wi-Fi or installing apps. The new Android Wear watches will not have Google or Pixel branding but will be considered flagship devices in their own right. New hardware will follow the release of Android Wear 2.0 shortly.
Android Wear 2.0, the next iteration of Google’s smartwatch operating system, will be released to the public in February. The calendar date is not yet set in stone, but Google is now notifying developers of an impending release just a few weeks away to help those with unsupported Android Wear code be prepared to update their apps or else find the software unavailable in the Play Store.

Specifically, Google is trying to ensure that developers update their apps to allow them to run in standalone mode, meaning without a dependency on a connected smartphone for connecting to Wi-Fi networks and installing apps. This standalone aspect is a hallmark feature of Android Wear 2.0, which was first announced back at the company’s I/O developer conference in May 2016.

Google is finally ready to take the wraps off Android Wear 2.0

Back in September, Google delayed the release of its next version of Android Wear until 2017 to hammer out issues that arose during developer preview builds. The company is also working on two unannounced smartwatches of its own with an unnamed manufacturer it has collaborated with in the past.