New Android Wear 2.0 preview brings single sign-on and more
The release of Android Wear 2.0 was delayed until next year, but today Google has a new developer preview of the new version that brings new features and restores old functionality that was available in previous releases.
The biggest new addition to this preview is support for one-click Google sign-in on the watch. You can now tap a button on your watch that will open the authentication screen on your phone. The watch app will be able to authenticate its login with the server directly, negating the need to sign-in directly on the watch. This new feature will be available for both iOS and Android.
New developer features for Wear include the ability to offer in-app purchases and the ability to promote Wear apps through the Play Store on non-Wear devices.
Of course, Google is listening to feedback from users and developers, which is why the ability to swipe notifications away like in early versions of Android Wear is making its return in Android Wear 2.0. You’ll no longer be required to press the watches’ hardware button in order to get out of a notification.