Android Wear had been available for barely a month when developers cranked out interesting apps with new functionality. Of course, some apps aimed to fix some of the issues with Android Wear. Google has featured several high-profile Android Wear apps in the Play Store, but some of the best have escaped Mountain View’s notice. Let’s check out ten of the most incredible, most useful Android Wear apps so far.
Wear Mini Launcher
Opening apps on Android Wear can be frustrating. Especially if you aren’t in a place where you can talk to your wrist. Wear Mini Launcher adds a slide-out panel with all your apps to the Android Wear home screen. It also provides quick options like brightness and setting toggles for the phone to which your watch is connected. You can choose where the gesture area goes, though the default top right makes the most sense to me.
Wear Mini Launcher (Free)
Wear Lock
Google demoed an Android Wear feature at I/O 2014. It would allow you to keep your phone unlocked when your smartwatch is attached. But Wear Lock lets you do most of the same things right now on older versions of Android. This app sets the watch as a trusted Bluetooth device. Asks for your password only when the watch isn’t connected. It doesn’t work with a pattern lock or an Android restriction, but it’s still a real timesaver.
Wear Lock ($2)
Wear Apps Tracker
Another common complaint about Wear apps is that you must find out when one is installed, updated, or removed. Wear Apps Tracker adds precisely that functionality. It will alert you with a card on the watch each time an app on your Wear device changes. It shows the app’s name, so you won’t be left wondering. It’s absolutely essential if you’re playing with a lot of apps.
Wear Apps Tracker (Free)
PixtoCam
Androids stock camera app can add a shutter button to Android Wear, but PixtoCam goes much further. This app produces a live viewfinder on the watch that can snap photos and videos with autofocus zoom controls. PixtoCam can even be activated while the phone is asleep.
PixtoCam ($2)
Shopping List
Shopping List is mostly a regular Android app with a boring name. But it now comes with a full-featured Wear component. The items added to your lists are all accessible from the watch as a series of cards. Swipe them away as you make your way around the store; each change is synced to the phone.
Display Brightness for Wear
Neither G nor Gear Watch has ambient light sensors, meaning you have to manually change the brightness like a caveman. Display Brightness for Wear can fake auto-brightness by monitoring sunrise and sunset times in your location and adjusting brightness accordingly. It also knows if you’re driving, in which case it cranks the brightness as well. There are no settings to mess with, but it works as advertised.
Display Brightness for Wear (Free)
Better Wear Face
Google has yet to release the official Wear watch face App. Most early watch face apps are busted in various ways. Better Wear Face is one of the few that doesn’t require you to make a bunch of compromises. This app includes text and digital watch faces with customizable backgrounds and optional weather. It isn’t even covered up by the taller Wear cards, like many other watch face apps.
Better Wear Face (Free)
Wear Aware
An Android Wear watch connects to the phone over Bluetooth, making it a handy Bluetooth tether. If you walk away from your phone. Wear Aware will vibrate the watch to let you know the connection has been lost. If your phone goes for an unauthorized expedition in the couch cushions. You can also launch the phone app to make the phone ring.
Wear Aware (Free)
Wearable Widgets
Android Wears interface is based on cards, but you can still throw a few widgets. Wearable Widgets let you mirror any widget from your phone to the watch. They work just like they would on the regular Android home screen. With all the functionality intact, carried over to the phone.
Wearable Widgets (Free)
Link Bubble
Link Bubble is a phone app that loads pre-loaded web pages for you in floating bubbles. It works a bit like Facebook chat heads. You can stack them up and open the page on top of what you’re doing. When you want to check them. This app has just added Wear functionality that lets you sync a text-only. For all your bubbles to the watch. So you can read short articles without taking your phone out.
Link Bubble (Free)
