Android Wear Oreo Update Begins Rolling Out Today
Just as Android 8.1 Oreo is beginning to roll out to Android phones, Oreo is now coming to Android Wear devices as well. The roll out begins today, though that doesn't necessarily mean that your watch will receive its Oreo update right away. That, as always, is dependent on your watch's manufacturer.
The roll out was announced on the Android Wear Developers Google Plus page by Hoi Lam. While the Oreo update for Android Wear may not be as extensive as Oreo was for phones, there are still a few noteworthy features launching here. The first feature Lam talks about it a new "Notification vibration strength setting."
However, that might be a mistake, as the image he shared shows as setting for "Vibration Pattern" which, obviously, allows you to pick from different types of vibrations alert. Aside from that little complication, everything else seems to be relatively straightforward – for instance, Android Wear users will find a new touch lock option to use when you find yourself in a wet environment.
This update also brings support for seven new countries and their languages: Belgium (Dutch), Czech Republic (Czech), El Salvador (Spanish), Honduras (Spanish), Nigeria (English), Paraguay (Spanish), and Portugal (Portuguese). Finally, we'll see some miscellaneous new features, such as "notification channels," and "battery saving background limits." Ultimately, Hoi Lam doesn't share a whole lot about Oreo for Android Wear, so we'll have to wait for more specific patch notes as manufacturers send this update out to their devices.
When that will happen is up in the air and different for each watch. Looking over at a thread created over on the Android Wear subreddit, it seems like most manufacturers haven't launched an update yet, and many are wondering if their watch with even get it. Though some users report that their LG-made watch is getting a notification to update, attempting to apply it results in failure. So, for now, we don't seem to have any manufacturers pushing an update out the door, but that should change soon.