Wear OS 2.1 is rolling out to your smartwatch starting today

• Wear OS 2.1 — the latest version of the smartwatch operating system — is rolling out starting today.
• All smartwatches running Wear OS 2.0 will get the update.
• The update brings many improvements and some new features (but not a new chipset).

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Unfortunately, we don’t expect Google to launch a Pixel-branded smartwatch at its hardware event on October 9, but that doesn’t mean smartwatches aren’t going to get some Google love. Starting today, Wear OS 2.1 is rolling out to compatible wearables.

As we previously reported, the Wear OS 2.1 update brings some new gesture controls, better access to notifications, heavier integration with Google Assistant, and better features related to monitoring your health and wellbeing.

The list of smartwatches that won’t see the update is very short (check it out here). Essentially, if your watch has Wear OS 2.0, you will eventually get Wear OS 2.1.

Although the rollout begins today, we advise you to be patient: Google’s rollouts tend to be staggered and slow. It’s highly likely that certain regions will get the update first and then other regions will follow, so the rollout could take days or weeks.

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If you are impatient and want to be sure that you didn’t miss your chance to update, you can always manually check for updates on your watch. Go to Settings > System > About > System Updates on your Wear OS smartwatch to see if the update is available for you.

Oh, and one more thing: while this update does bring some nifty new features that will make your smartwatch smoother and better, it unfortunately won’t bring a new chipset.

NEXT: Google confirms it will not launch its own Wear OS smartwatch this year

Source: Android Zone

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Life is Strange time-hopping onto Android this July

Square Enix has announced that Life is Strange is coming to Android devices this July. You can pre-register right now to hear immediately when the first episode arrives on the Google Play Store this summer via the button below.

Originally developed by Dontnod Entertainment, Life is Strange is a five-part coming-of-age tale that follows photography senior Max Caufield on a journey of self-discovery, mystery, friendship, loss, and time travel. Yes, time travel.

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Shortly after returning to her childhood home, the picturesque, fictional town of Arcadia Bay, Max suddenly develops supernatural powers that let her rewind time at will. After rekindling her friendship with Chloe Price, a hella cool college drop out with no shortage of inner demons, the two work together to uncover the truth behind the mysterious disappearance of another student.

Cards on the table, I adore both Life is Strange and its prequel series, Before the Storm, which launched episodically on PC and console late last year. The original series debuted in 2015 and later made its way to iOS devices in December 2017 ported by Black Wing Foundation.

An Android version was teased for a release in early 2018 with Black Wing once again at the helm. We’ve had to wait a bit longer than expected, but Android users will now finally be able to dive into one of the most emotionally affecting games ever made. For more of an idea of what to expect from the game, give the Android launch trailer (embedded above) a watch.

Square Enix

The mobile version of Life is Strange features full touchscreen support, an all-new Photo Mode that lets you take pictures within the game and modify them with filters, and social media integration so you can share and compare your pivotal story decisions with friends. As an added bonus, the Android version also features full controller support which isn’t available on iOS.

Pricing has yet to be confirmed but if it’s anything like the iOS version it’ll be around $2.99 for individual episodes or $8.99 for the whole series. Will you be time-hopping your way into Life is Strange on Android this July? Let us know in the comments!

Life is Strange: Pre-register at Google Play Store

Source: Android Zone

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OnePlus removed Always-On Display from OnePlus 6 at last minute

• When you unbox a OnePlus 6, there’s an Always-On Display feature greyed-out in the device settings.
• Then, upon performing the launch day update, the listed feature is removed entirely.
• OnePlus states that it removed the feature due to battery concerns, but didn’t say if or when the feature would come back.

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If you bought a OnePlus 6 on launch day and happened to scroll through the settings a bit, you would have seen an Always-On Display option. However, the feature was greyed out so you couldn’t actually activate (or deactivate) it.

One would have then assumed that OnePlus would turn the feature on with the first update to the device’s software. Instead, OnePlus removed the feature entirely in its launch day update to the OnePlus 6.

While the lack of an Always-On Display feature isn’t likely to make-or-break your decision to buy a OnePlus 6, it is interesting that the company clearly planned on having the function but then changed its mind at the last minute.

According to a thread on Reddit, a OnePlus customer support representative stated that the reason the feature was removed was “due to a battery-saving concern.”

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While there’s no doubt that an Always-On Display feature would drain the battery faster, it’s not entirely clear why OnePlus would remove the choice entirely from the device. All it would take is a warning notification to pop up when you toggle the feature on stating that doing so will likely drain your battery faster. Then the user could choose whether or not that’s worth it to them.

Also, other companies like LG, Samsung, and Google have Always-On Display features built-in to their devices, and battery drain doesn’t appear to be an issue. Could it be that OnePlus’ feature was actually causing some sort of bug, and the company decided to remove the feature entirely for now until it could get a grip on the situation?

Either way, if you’re buying a OnePlus 6 and hoping to have an Always-On Display feature, it won’t be there when you unbox the phone. It might come at some point in the future, though.

NEXT: What does the Honor 10 have that the OnePlus 6 doesn’t?

Source: Android Zone

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