Google to add Wi-Fi support to Android Wear

It looks like Google’s Android Wear is going to get another feature which makes it more like Apple Watch. According to a report, Google is planning to add Wi-Fi support to it. Currently, Android Wear only supports Bluetooth connectivity which limits its functionality.

The report said that Google will roll out a new Android Wear update soon which will include Wi-Fi support to it and will also introduce gesture control movement which will allow users to dismiss notifications without swiping the finger across the device’s screen. With the help of these gesture movements, users can also navigate between apps easily.

Android Wear has recently received some criticism from few OEMs who parted ways with it for their upcoming wearable gadgets and suggested that they did it because Android Wear was limiting their options of having more features on a wearable device.

It is interesting to note that the expected update of Android Wear comes just a day after Apple unveiled its Apple Watch which has the Wi-Fi support. Both the Android Wear and Apple Watch rely heavily on the communication between the devices to which they are connected. This way, both of them can pull data from a device like notifications, content, personalized information etc.

So far, Android Wear used Bluetooth connectivity while Apple Watch uses its Wi-Fi connectivity to perform this task. And because Bluetooth has far less connectivity range than Wi-Fi, it gives Apple Watch a great preliminary advantage over its rivals because it doesn’t matter for an Apple Watch owner to be sitting near the device to which it is paired as long as both gadgets are connected to the same Wi-Fi.

Google hasn’t officially commented on this report but a Google spokeswoman did hint indirectly by saying that the “the Android Wear team is hard at work.”