Android Wear Marshmallow Update: What to Expect?

Android Wear, Google’s operating system that supports some of the most popular smartwatch options on the market, is finally getting the highly anticipated Android 6.0 Marshmallow update. Details were revealed this afternoon, and below is everything owners of the Moto 360, Huawei Watch, and other Android Wear smartwatches need to know.

Officially today Android BlogGoogle has confirmed all the details about Android 6.0 Marshmallow for smartwatches and some notable new features. It’s currently only available on the LG G Watch Urbane 2nd Edition LTE, but the rest are getting an update starting today.

We’ve seen a lot of reports lately, rumorsand proof that a major update is coming to Android Wear, and now it’s finally starting. From speaker support and actually making calls from our wrist, gesture controls, and more, we keep hearing rumors about it ahead of the upcoming Apple Watch 2. Read on for all the details on Android 6.0 for smartwatches.

When Will Android Wear Marshmallow Coming?

The biggest question is when the update will actually arrive for smartwatch owners. This is a big update with many notable new features and many of them can’t wait to arrive.

Google confirmed it today, and even an employee named Wayne Piekarski Announced on Google+ page OTAs started today and should continue over the next few weeks.

This is currently as early as February 4, users can expect updates to start rolling out on many popular smartwatches and continue for about 2 weeks. Google has slowly rolled out updates to make sure there are no issues and we will see the same gradual and slow rollout as Android 6.0 for watches.

who gets it first

Google didn’t specify which smartwatches will get Android Wear 6.0 Marshmallow first, but we have a few ideas. The Moto 360 2nd Gen is one of the most popular, so it could top the list. At the same time, there are two watches specifically mentioned in the changelog that can take advantage of the new features, so they’re probably the first to get it.

These are Huawei Watch and ASUS ZenWatch 2. Both actually have a built-in speaker rather than just a microphone. You all know what this means. Make phone calls from your wrist like James Bond. More details on this can be found below.

What’s up

Android Wear and our smartwatches are about to get even smarter and more powerful. We can’t always touch or interact with that tiny screen or have time to caress it and send a quick voice response. As a result, there are new gestures for hands-free controls, voice search, and more. Here is the full changelog from Google themselves. Each new feature has more details provided in the links below.

Of course, the biggest feature is that we can make calls directly from our watch. The Huawei Watch and ZenWatch 2 have speakers instead of just a microphone, like the Moto 360 or LG G Watch. This means that these two watches can make full range phone calls. You can talk to the watch and hear the caller using the built-in speaker.

Many other smartwatch owners will be happy to see that their voice controls have been greatly improved for quick response to messages. Until this update, only a few apps worked with Android Wear. Like replying to a text with your voice, replying to a quick Gmail message, and more. There are now six more apps taking advantage of this, and developers can easily add support to their apps.

Google also specifically called the brand new Casio Outdoor Smartwatch and Huawei Watch for ladies. So these may also be near the top of the list for the update.

All said and done, users can expect updates to arrive as soon as today or this weekend. Don’t worry if it doesn’t arrive right away because it’s a slow process that can take about two weeks to complete. Stay tuned for more details.