Enhanced battery saver and Actions arrive in new dev preview
Wear OS got nary a mention at Google’s I/O keynote this year. We revealed that Qualcomm has a new smartwatch platform set for the fall, which will hopefully reinvigorate Google’s smartwatch software, but otherwise it’s all been heavily developer-focused.
One thing Google is doing is pushing out a new Android P developer preview that adds support for Actions on Wear and – thankfully – some battery improvements.
Read this: Best Wear OS watches to own
The new “enhanced” battery saver mode will drop the smartwatch into a more power-efficient state by switching off the touchscreen, tilt-to-wake and the radios. You’ll be able to check the time by pressing the side button, while a long press will resume normal activity.
We reported on Actions for Wear OS when Google announced it ahead of I/O, and these will be key for controlling smart home devices and other services that can be controlled through the Assistant.
This all follows on from Google’s first developer preview that landed in March and began bringing Android P features to the wearable platform. Included in that was a dark UI system theme to make information more glanceable and limited background activity for longer battery life.
These developer preview aren’t meant for consumers (unless you like bugs) but give us a look at features before they’re distributed broadly.
