Skip to main content

Android Wear 2.0 enters beta and gives devs access to wrist gestures w/ Developer Preview 2

Android Wear 2.0 has been updated to beta today with the release of its second Developer Preview. The update packs new functionality and bug fixes, the most notable of the bunch being that third-party developers will now have the ability to add wrist gestures to apps. The Android Platform is also now at API 24 to match Nougat as of this release, but unfortunately the Preview is still only available for two watches…

Starting in DP2, developers will have access to wrist gestures previously reserved for scrolling through the notification stream. Google hopes to improve one-handed usage in third-party apps with this addition.

As Android Wear apps will soon be able to run independently of a phone, Google added a bunch of design elements, including navigation and action drawers in the first Developer Preview. This second preview adds support for drawer peaking, automatic peek view, and navigation drawer closure. Developers will also be able to make custom wearable drawers.

As mentioned (and with Android 7.0 Nougat now official), the Android Platform API has also been updated to level 24 and developers are encouraged to begin targeting apps for this version.

Like on phones and tablets, the Wear developer previews are released in six-week intervals with four milestones. The second and third milestones are considered betas and will have incremental updates. This timeline suggests that Wear 2.0 will be available sometime after Android N is available on phones and tablets.

The Android Wear 2.0 Developer Preview can still only be installed on the Huawei Watch and the LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition LTE. Full installation instructions are available on the Android developer site.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

You’re reading 9to5Google — experts who break news about Google and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Google on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Comments

Author

Avatar for Abner Li Abner Li

Editor-in-chief. Interested in the minutiae of Google and Alphabet. Tips/talk: abner@9to5g.com