The only guide you need to get started with Android Wear

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http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/guptOPwqaoV37HHWiU3dZA--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3NfbGVnbztmaT1maWxsO2g9ODY7cT03NTt3PT EzMA--/http://media.zenfs.com/en-US/homerun/digital_trends_973/5830b940ec6eaba9ac7fe47fea1a6b07 (http://news.yahoo.com/only-guide-started-android-wear-211544067.html)Your new Android Wear smartwatch has been unboxed, charged, and strapped to your wrist. What next? Setting up and using Android Wear is a simple process, and almost identical regardless of the model you’ve got. We can provide a comprehensive user guide on how to get started with Android Wear, to make sure you don’t waste previous time missing those all-important wrist-based notifications. Android Wear is compatible with both Android and iOS smartphones, so we’ll be covering both during the guide. Watch at the ready? Let’s get started. Related: The best Android Wear apps to download Basic requirements and apps If you own an Android smartphone, it’ll need to run Android 4.3 Jelly Bean and above, with a Bluetooth connection active. For the iPhone, it requires iOS 8.2 and above, again with an active Bluetooth connection. While almost any Android phone will work with your smartwatch, some older models struggle on iOS. The app initially only supported the LG Watch Urbane, but updates have increased the number of watches that operate with iOS. The list now includes the brand new TAG Heuer Carrera Connected, the Fossil Q Founder, Moto 360 2nd Generation, and the Huawei Watch. If you’re not sure if your watch will work, Google has a special webpage-which, when visited using your phone’s browser, will show you if it’ll run an Android Wear watch.-You can find the Android Wear app in the Google Play store here, and the iOS app in the iTunes App Store here. Pair your watch and smartphone Jessica Lee Star/Digital Trends Once the Android Wear app is installed on your phone, turn on your Android Wear watch. You’re going to need the charger to complete the setup process, so make sure you’ve got it nearby. Select your language of choice when prompted, then look for a Bluetooth pairing code and ensure it matches the one displayed on your phone. On iOS, enter it manually. Additional prompts will then appear for Google Fit and location data, which can be accepted or declined. If there are any software updates available for your watch, they’ll be installed at this time. How to use Android Wear on Android phones Andy Boxall/Digital Trends Android Wear’s features and the supporting app differ depending on which OS you’re using. We’ll concentrate on Android here, and most of the usage instructions apply to iOS anyway, but there are differences that we’ll address in a later section. Android Wear is controlled using simple gestures. There’s no onscreen keyboard, and actions are approved or declined using big, finger-friendly buttons. When you start the watch for the first time, or after a full reset, it’ll give you a quick rundown of how to use the OS. Related:- 10 of the worst Android Wear problems, and how to fix them It’s simple:-Information appears on cards, viewed by swiping up and down on the display, and dismissed with a swipe to the right. If you accidentally dismiss a card and change your mind, quickly swipe up on the screen to find a handy Undo button, which returns the card to the watch. Cards with additional information or more functions are explored using a swipe to the left. For example, swiping on the weather card shows the forecast for the coming days, then the option to open the app on your phone. Tap the watch face and swipe to the left to enter the Android Wear menu. On Android, this shows three different menu screens, all accessed with a left swipe. The first is a list of installed apps, the second is a list of contacts, and the third is for Android Wear specific actions, such as Google Now voice control or step count data. On iOS, the contact list doesn’t appear. Swipe down on the main watch face screen to see quick access controls for notifications. From here, you can select priority notification mode, or cinema mode for silence, and also adjust the screen brightness. Additionally, it shows the battery percentage, date, and connection status. To quickly dim the display, cover the watch for a few seconds with your palm. Once you’re familiar with the basics, you’ll probably want to take a look at the different watch faces that are installed on your watch. This is done with a long press on the main watch face screen. Watch faces appear in a horizontally scrolling list and are selected with a tap. Some faces will have customizable options, accessed using a settings cog shown beneath the face. Alternative watch faces If the pre-installed faces don’t present enough choice, others are available from either the Android Wear app or the Google Play store. On iOS, inside the Android Wear app, a small selection of third-party faces can be downloaded. On Android, there are hundreds of options available inside the Google Play store, accessed through the Android Wear app, or by a simple Play Store search. Related: Best Android Wear watch faces Downloaded watch faces are synced across to the watch automatically, but may take a few moments to install, so have patience. Unless the face has its own app that installs on your phone — the Disney Star Wars app, for example — there’s no need for any further action. When it’s ready, a notification shows on the watch, from which a tap will set the new face. Download apps Jessica Lee Star/Digital Trends Adding apps to Android Wear is a similar procedure. If an app is made to run on an Android Wear watch, it’s downloaded as usual from Google Play. The quickest way to find them is through the Android Wear app by tapping the More button alongside the Essential Watch Apps section on the main screen. Let’s use Runkeeper as an example. Find it using the search bar, install it, and the app will automatically transfer to your watch. A notification will show up when it’s ready, and it’ll appear in the list of apps under the main menu. Tap the watch face, swipe left, then scroll down to find it. Tap to start a workout. Most apps follow this process. Share with a friend Using Android Wear’s Together feature, it’s possible to send an Android Wear-using friend images, emojis, and messages directly from the watch. This requires a quick set up from the Android Wear app, and it is only available on Android devices. Tap the cog at the top of the screen to find the Settings menu, then the Together option. From here, tap the plus sign or Pair With A Friend button to invite or quickly connect with another Android Wear watch. Related:- Here are the 5 best smartwatches you can buy right now Once you’re connected up, you’ll be able to draw images on the screen to send each other, or choose from a list of emojis. There’s even a Together watch face to make sharing easier and faster. Next Page: Customizing apps, voice control, adding music, and more Customizing apps On Android, your watch can control various functions on your phone, and it’s often up to you which app is linked to a specific feature. Let’s take the music app as an example. Open the Android Wear app and find the Tips section at the bottom of the main screen. Tap More Actions , and a list of apps that can be controlled using your watch shows up. Find Play Music and tap it. If you’re a Spotify user and have the app installed on your phone, the option to control it from the watch will also show up, alongside Google’s own Play Music app, and potentially others, too. Tap it to select. It’s the same with fitness apps, on-demand ride apps like Uber, and for navigation. Taking the time to personalize your watch will make it more useful, so it’s time well spent. Talk to the wrist Jessica Lee Star/Digital Trends Android Wear can be controlled using your voice, if you don’t mind shouting at your wrist in public. How well it works depends on what you’re asking, your accent, and the surrounding noise levels. If you’re up for giving it a try, then it’s simple to do, because it’s built right into the operating system. Related:- Watchphones are coming: Google updates Android Wear with cellular connectivity Tap the screen to wake it from ambient mode, and the words “OK, Google” should appear on the display. That’s your cue to say exactly that. If all works correctly, you’ll get a listening icon show up, and a scrollable list of suggested voice instructions, ranging from showing the step count to sending emails and messages, setting a reminder, or opening the navigation system. The list changes depending on the phone’s operating system. Android Wear on iOS doesn’t have navigation, or voice message support for example. Add music for offline listening Many Android Wear watches have a small amount of internal storage memory, usually 4GB, which can be used to store some music. Then, with a pair of Bluetooth headphones connected, you’re free to leave your phone or music player behind when out for a walk or jog. Sadly, the music has to come from Google’s Play Music, rather than another app, but it’s better than nothing. This means you have to start the process of adding music to your watch in the Play Music app. Open it, go to Settings , and look for the switch marked Download to Android Wear -to ensure that it’s on. Underneath is a setting named Manage Wear Downloads . In here, you can choose tracks to sync with your watch from those found in your Play Music account. Beware, syncing takes a long time because it’s over Bluetooth, so don’t expect to be out the door in five minutes if you’ve chosen an entire album to transfer. A notification will show on the watch when the transfer has been completed. From there, go to Settings on the watch, choose Bluetooth Devices , and pair the watch with your Bluetooth headphones. To play the synced tracks, choose the Play Music app on the watch, found by swiping to the left from the face screen and scrolling through your app list. Connect to Wi-Fi Jessica Lee Star/Digital Trends Some Android Wear watches have Wi-Fi onboard. It’s useful for still grabbing notifications if Bluetooth is out of range, but your phone and watch are connected to the same Wi-Fi network. You’ll know if your watch has Wi-Fi by checking under Settings . If it does, there will be a Wi-Fi Settings option. Related:- Check out 20 of the best Android Wear apps for your smartwatch Tap this and the watch will scan for local networks. Select the one you want and a prompt to enter the password will appear, along with a button to open the command on your phone. Tap this, pick up your phone, and fill in the network password. The watch will connect automatically each time it’s in range and switched on. Set your watch as a trusted device This is a very helpful feature that stops the constant need to enter a PIN number or other security feature every time you use the phone, provided it’s connected to your watch with Bluetooth. Adding it as a trusted device may be offered as an option by Android anyway, but in case you dismissed it or it didn’t arrive, here’s how to set it up. On your phone, go to Settings , Screen Lock and Passwords , then look for the Smart Unlock option.- You’ll need to have set a PIN number to go any further, if one hasn’t already been added. Choose the option to add a Bluetooth device, and you’ll see a list of paired devices and the watch should be among them. Tap it and agree to use it for smart unlocking. All the time it’s connected, security will be bypassed and only a screen swipe is needed to access the phone from wake-up. Handy when you’ve only got one hand available but need your phone. This is only available on Android. Block notifications Once the novelty of receiving notifications on your watch has worn off, one or two of the more persistent apps may need to be blocked due to information overload. On Android, go to the Settings cog in the Android Wear app, choose Block App Notifications , then hit the plus icon. Here, find the app that’s going overboard and stop its interruptions right away. On iOS, it’s the same procedure in the app. Using Android Wear on iOS Everyone should be happy that Android Wear watches can be linked to an iPhone, but less happy that functionality is drastically reduced. If your idea of a dream smartwatch is only notifications, then it performs valiantly. One thing worth checking if you’re missing out on a few notifications is that the originating app isn’t blocked. Inside the Android Wear app, tap the Settings cog and look for Blocked App Notifications . Tap this to get a list of apps not sending alerts to your watch, then use the Edit command at the top of the screen to make changes. Related: Battery saving tips for Android Wear If you expect much else aside from alerts on your wrist, you’ll be disappointed. There are fewer watch faces available, no apps, no Wi-Fi support for the watch, and no way to fill up the internal storage space. However, this could change in the future with app updates. Follow this guide, and you’ll be an Android Wear master in no time. There’s more to discover as you add apps, but this covers the basics of using the wearable OS. If you’ve got a favorite feature that you want the world to know about, which we haven’t mentioned, feel free to tell us about it in the comments. We’ll be updating this guide in the future with any major feature additions introduced to Android Wear, so check back later.



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