Google has promised that it will release frequent updates to Android Wear, the smartwatch OS being adopted by companies like Asus, Samsung, Motorola, LG, and others.
Smartwatches will change much more rapidly than smartphones, the company said, and Google wants to stay at the forefront and actively shape how Android Wear evolves, according to CNET.
And unlike in smartphones, Google can reportedly push out Android Wear updates without having to run them by carriers first, a step that makes the smartphone update process a lot longer than it otherwise would be.
Google reportedly has several Android Wear updates scheduled to arrive before the end of the year, with the first coming this week.
Future watch
These Android Wear updates will add features like the ability to pair smartwatches with Bluetooth headsets and the ability for smartwatches with GPS to use geolocation to track users' fitness sessions.
Google also plans to add a streamlined way for third-party developers to design their own Android Wear watch faces that users will be able to swap in and out on a whim. The watches could display live sports game scores, stocks or other specific data.
Google's Android Wear Engineering Director David Singleton told CNET that thousands of existing Android apps have already been updated to support Android Wear.
He added that Google will enable other connection types besides Bluetooth as its Android Wear hardware partners start expressing the desire to build watches that use them.
Meanwhile Android Vice President of Engineering Hiroshi Lockheimer said the company wants to keep updating Android Wear as quickly as possible. He said "it's a lot simpler on watches," where there are less steps in the update pipeline.
