Any Android app works with Android Wear in terms of simple notifications and alerts, but there now are a growing number of dedicated apps that try and do more with the interface. If you’re wondering exactly what Android Wear’s capabilities are — whether or not you’ve picked up a device yet — browse through this selection of the apps that really show off the platform’s potential.
1. Tockle
Tockle gives you the tools you need to start hacking into your Android Wear watch and getting it to do your bidding. Toggle system settings (like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth), create shortcuts for sending SMS messages, activate events in Tasker, and more. Any set of tasks you put together in Tockle can be launched from your smartwatch with a tap of the screen or a voice command, and it’s worth the few minutes you’ll need to get to grips with its interface.
2. Runtastic
Jogging is one of the best examples of a scenario where glancing at your wrist is preferable to fishing your mobile phone out of your pocket. Runtastic isn’t the only fitness app with Android Wear support but it is one of the first to provide compatibility and it comes with a stack of features (such as statistics and pause control) that you can access right from the watch face. If you’re wondering what the point of smartwatches are, this might convince you.
3. Evernote
Google Keep is the default note-taking application for Android Wear but Evernote now has a dedicated, separate app for smartwatches too. Once it’s up and running you can check through your notes, create new lists with your voice, tick off completed tasks, find notes associated with your current location and more.
4. IFTTT
IFTTT is one of our favourite Web services and of course it plugs into Android Wear. With IFTTT up and running you can really start to customise your smartwatch experience. Get weather reports sent to your wrist, tap the face to email yourself a map of your current location, mute your phone’s ringtone remotely, configure message and calling shortcuts, and so on. Anything that IFTTT supports, from RSS to Nest, can be combined with Android Wear.
5. Camera
A small watch face may not be ideal for browsing the Web or watching movies but it’s perfect as a one-button remote control. If you have the default Google Camera app installed then as soon as it launches you’ll see a Remote card pop up on your paired Android watch. Tap to take control and you can take group and selfie shots from a distance without the aid of a timer. Note that the Camera app has to be in photo mode for the Android Wear prompt to appear.