Looks like the LG Watch Urbane 2nd edition will get first crack at Android Wear 2.0

[LeeHounshell]

I have been running 2.0 for a couple days now. It is very different. I like how the middle button is "back" now.
My biggest gripe is no explicit control over where to go for Internet. The battery life I'm getting is incredible.
If the watch is not being used, it barely uses any. And the "ok google" functionality is broken for me.
I do have a working web browser, however.

 

[xendula]

I do have a working web browser, however.

One that is built into AW2.0, or do you mean the (paid) wear browser app?

 

[StimulatorCam]

I like how the middle button is "back" now.

That sounds absolutely horrible! How can that be better or faster than a swipe?

 

[Jaycemiskel]

can it be used as a daily driver?

I'm currently using it as a daily driver. I've been using it for a couple of days now and I like it. I agree that battery life has been great. Much improved from the previous version. I had a few weird things happening at first like it ignoring the lock screen and still showing notifications, but after settling for a day it just started working properly. One bug I've noticed is that turning wifi off doesn't seem to stick. It always goes back to auto. I even tried going into developer settings and changing it to where there was no auto option and it kept going back to auto. I guess it doesn't matter since battery life has been so good. Just something I've noticed. Like others have said, ok Google is broken.

 

[mdw1995]

.....One bug I've noticed is that turning wifi off doesn't seem to stick. It always goes back to auto. I even tried going into developer settings and changing it to where there was no auto option and it kept going back to auto....

My watch does this also on AW 1.5. Both cellular and Wi-Fi seem to turn on sometimes after I deactivate them.

 

[Jaycemiskel]

My watch does this also on AW 1.5. Both cellular and Wi-Fi seem to turn on sometimes after I deactivate them.

Really? I never had this problem on 1.5. I can't say enough about this battery life though. Been off the charger for like 4 hours and still got 98 percent. That's with ambient off because the messages pop up on the screen for everyone to see when it's on for some reason. Even when I had ambient on, I was still above 90 percent after 4 hours.

 

[mdw1995]

Really? I never had this problem on 1.5. I can't say enough about this battery life though. Been off the charger for like 4 hours and still got 98 percent. That's with ambient off because the messages pop up on the screen for everyone to see when it's on for some reason. Even when I had ambient on, I was still above 90 percent after 4 hours.

Have you let the battery completely drain (or come close) to see how long it lasts? I ask because my indicator has always been a little off. The drainage rate varies. I can be at 100% for a couple of hours before any drop and when I reach 67% it pauses for a while. The battery life has been great, just the number is off on mine (original release).

 

[FitzAusTex]

Have you let the battery completely drain (or come close) to see how long it lasts? I ask because my indicator has always been a little off. The drainage rate varies. I can be at 100% for a couple of hours before any drop and when I reach 67% it pauses for a while. The battery life has been great, just the number is off on mine (original release).

Mine has the same behavior at 100% and 67% since I got it in November.

 

[foxbat121]

New edition is the same. First couple hours it will stick to 100% (doesn't really mean it uses no power but the watch hardware can't tell the difference until it drops further).

The only way to truly judge the battery life it to left it drain for a day and look at the slop in the battery history diagram, disregard the first couple hours of 100%.

The wifi can't turn off issue is really annoying. It only happens when you temporary steps out of BT range of your phone while you have cellular radio off. It's an issue with both edition and both 1.4 and 1.5 AW OS.

 

[Runningwarrior08]

can it be used as a daily driver?

I have been since day one, very stable besides one or 2 crashes a day and voice is very hit or miss.

I have been running 2.0 for a couple days now. It is very different. I like how the middle button is "back" now.
My biggest gripe is no explicit control over where to go for Internet. The battery life I'm getting is incredible.
If the watch is not being used, it barely uses any. And the "ok google" functionality is broken for me.
I do have a working web browser, however.

Battery life does seem a little better, but I think this is due to notifications do not illuminate the screen now.

That sounds absolutely horrible! How can that be better or faster than a swipe?

I miss the swipe but now there are no accidental "backs". I miss swiping over a conversation to get the options of view conversation, now it is very Gear S2 like. Now you have to find the notification, tap it, wait for it to load(fairly quickly) than hit the menu key or swipe up, now you can see view conversation in a menu style popup. It was so much easier the other way, especially when using gestures...

Also long pressing back button is the same thing as "ok google" why?? Now I mistakenly activate this all the time.. The crown on this watch is too easy to hit on a righty, especially while golfing.

I'm currently using it as a daily driver. I've been using it for a couple of days now and I like it. I agree that battery life has been great. Much improved from the previous version. I had a few weird things happening at first like it ignoring the lock screen and still showing notifications, but after settling for a day it just started working properly. One bug I've noticed is that turning wifi off doesn't seem to stick. It always goes back to auto. I even tried going into developer settings and changing it to where there was no auto option and it kept going back to auto. I guess it doesn't matter since battery life has been so good. Just something I've noticed. Like others have said, ok Google is broken.

Wifi bug has always been there. The newest thing I have found that I have wanted is Cellular connection now disables when in Bluetooth range and re-enables when out of range like Tizen. This is a nice feature. No more toggling. But some may want it on at all times, I have not found this option yet though.

It is possible the connection is always on because in settings it shows a signal dB but in the pull down menu it only shows battery % and no LTE unless you are not connected over BT.

Mine has the same behavior at 100% and 67% since I got it in November.

Same here with the re-release edition.

Overall I am liking the beta but I don't want the swipe left or right for watchfaces, longpress was much better. I don't need to change my watchface every millisecond, Longpress is much harder to do by mistake. And swiping from right to left could be settings or something else, with left to right taking to like a notification over-view or something.

What they have done is taken AW and tried to copy Tizen on a few fronts but have not done it well... I love AW and Tizen but stick with AW for the apps, but this hybrid is kinda a broken way of doing it.

Also the handle for the top drop down is too large, it comes down when trying to see the watch face while listening to music.

I like the way the music app is now( for controlling music on phone, havent tried local yet)

Probably missing some things.

Even with Complications watch faces, the LG weather watchface is still my favorite. So simple and quick update to weather...

 

[daverns]

Thank you for this feedback, by the way do you happen to test/use the watch with LTE connection, any issues with notification or GPS?

 

[Jaycemiskel]

Have you let the battery completely drain (or come close) to see how long it lasts? I ask because my indicator has always been a little off. The drainage rate varies. I can be at 100% for a couple of hours before any drop and when I reach 67% it pauses for a while. The battery life has been great, just the number is off on mine (original release).

Mine has the same behavior at 100% and 67% since I got it in November.

Yeah mine still does that sit at 100% thing, but I've been finishing the day with like 20% more than I used to. Around 50% instead of 30%. Pretty good improvement. I could probably turn it off while I sleep and make it through two days now. I get a lot of notifications so maybe them being black is what's saving my battery power.

 

[daverns]

Thank you for this feedback, by the way do you happen to test/use the watch with LTE connection, any issues with notification or GPS?

I decided to try flashing the preview 2.0 again, this time I Forgot the Watch from the Android wear on my phone. Installation completed with no errors or force closes while syncing the apps, I have 45 and so it take around 15 to 20 minutes to complete. Since pairing the watch, I have not have any force closes. So far so good.

 

[tech_head]

I'm on Marshmallow and on battery for almost 10 hours, I'm at 92%.
No cell or wifi active. Notifications all day for text and email, etc.

Really? I never had this problem on 1.5. I can't say enough about this battery life though. Been off the charger for like 4 hours and still got 98 percent. That's with ambient off because the messages pop up on the screen for everyone to see when it's on for some reason. Even when I had ambient on, I was still above 90 percent after 4 hours.

 

[miroul]

Anyone care to try GPS? Does it work? Also, is there other languages available at set up? I need French to work as my main language for the watch.

 

[Runningwarrior08]

Thank you for this feedback, by the way do you happen to test/use the watch with LTE connection, any issues with notification or GPS?

So notifications over LTE work great, including changing songs playing on the phone. I haven't tested GPS yet.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[daverns]

That's good to hear, I will try the GPS tomorrow as well.

 

[fernandez21]

I just flashed back to stock, really didn't like some of the changes they made. I don't like how they removed the swiping back gesture and how you now change the watch faces by swiping instead of holding down the screen. Not liking the new design for notifications with the dark background and small icon, it was easier to read before and looked nicer imo. I also missed just swiping right on a notification to see the options.

The things i liked were the drop menu was better with all the options on one screen instead of swiping through pages, i liked the app menu, i liked how they added the scroll indicators on the side so you knew how far down you were, i liked both the swiping keyboard and handwriting (though they kept crashing on me). I also liked the new animations.

overall though, i think the ui is taking a step back. I hope things improve before final release, but it looks like i might have to live with that new ui in order to get stand alone apps which is badly needed.

 

[daverns]

In the Android Wear app on my phone, the list of Actions are missing and I am not able to add any. Does anyone have the same problem, this is probably why the Okay Google is not working.

 

[fernandez21]

In the Android Wear app on my phone, the list of Actions are missing and I am not able to add any. Does anyone have the same problem, this is probably why the Okay Google is not working.

Mine was the same way when I was using the preview.