Android Wear update will make your notifications easier to read

Go get that enhanced glance, people
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If you're the owner of an Android Wear smartwatch and have trouble reading your notifications, a new update coming to the platform could be the answer to your woes.

This isn't a large, over-the-air update designed to radically change how you interact with your Android Wear device, but instead a smaller, incremental change to aid how messages, emails and third-party notifications are displayed on your wrist. As a result, you'll need to make sure your watch is synced with the latest version of the Android Wear app on your phone and let it take care of business — this one won't come directly to the watch like other updates.

Read this: Android Wear tips and tricks

Announced in a blog post, Google notes that Android Wear 2.8 will include "improved notification glanceability with a new layout which shows more of your messages at a glance." The company also states the background has been made darker for better readability.

We haven't had chance to take a look at the new notification layout just yet, with Google indicating that the new look will begin rolling out to Wear devices in the coming days.

There's no details just yet regarding which watches are set to receive the change, we can only assume that all smartwatches packing Wear 2.0 will be in line — no matter if the screen is AMOLED, P-OLED or any other kind of display. If so, it would mean that the grey background currently found across all Wear devices will soon turn black.

Naturally, this isn't the most groundbreaking change to the platform we've seen since Wear 2.0 hit our wrists, but it's little changes like this which can, when added up, make all the difference.

Android Wear update will make your notifications easier to read




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Conor Allison

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Conor moved to Wareable Media Group in 2017, initially covering all the latest developments in smartwatches, fitness trackers, and VR. He made a name for himself writing about trying out translation earbuds on a first date and cycling with a wearable airbag, as well as covering the industry’s latest releases.

Following a stint as Reviews Editor at Pocket-lint, Conor returned to Wareable Media Group in 2022 as Editor-at-Large. Conor has become a wearables expert, and helps people get more from their wearable tech, via Wareable's considerable how-to-based guides. 

He has also contributed to British GQ, Wired, Metro, The Independent, and The Mirror. 


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