Announcing the third developer preview of Android Wear 2.0, Google has revealed that the final version of the operating system will not be arriving in “fall 2016” as previously planned. The release has now been pushed to sometime in early 2017. Before the release of the final Android Wear 2.0 software, Google will be releasing a fourth developer preview. The second developer preview went live around two months back, so we expect the fourth developer preview to be out before the end of the year.
With Android Wear 2.0 developer preview 3, users will no longer have to rely on their smartphones to install apps on their Android Wear smartwatches from the Play Store. Instead, you will now be able to browse recommended apps in the home view and search for apps on the Play Store using voice, keyboard, handwriting, and recommended queries. By going into the “My apps” view, you will also be able to sign up for alpha and beta tests, update or even uninstall installed apps. Developers can now build their apps for the platform and publish them on the Play Store for users to discover.
While the news of a delay is certainly not a pleasant one, it will ensure that the final release is completely bug-free and stable, as developers will be able to spend more time testing it out thoroughly. After all, none of us want to see a buggy operating system running on our smartwatch.
Source: Android Developers Blog
