Now that Android Wear is launched and both the LG G Watch and Samsung Gear Live are available for sale on the Play Store, many of us, enthusiasts, have decided to dig in our pockets and get on the Wear action. The problem, however, like the first days of the Chromecast availability, is that Google seems to have closed down the “Apps for Android Wear” section of the Play Store, limiting the selection to 32 apps. However, there are many more being released every day, so where do you find them?
1. Apps for Android Wear Watch
Despite a very horrible name, this Android app is one of the best-curated lists of Wear-compatible apps (with additional sections for tutorials and accessories). The list is built into the app so you can use it while being offline and get updated daily or every other day with new additions. Click on a Wear app in the list and you are immediately taken to its Play Store listing to read all about it and download it. You can also filter all the apps or only the free ones, search a keyword, report inappropriate apps, and suggest new ones to the dev.
A simple way to scroll through many Android Wear compatible apps
Download: Apps for Android Wear Watch
2. Android Wear Store
Android Wear Store is quite similar to the app above; the differences lie in how it organizes the apps in sections and how it fetches the list online (so it’s a bit slower to load, but is always up-to-date). Wear Store divides its selection between apps and games, each with the corresponding sub-categories in the Play Store (Business, Communication, etc, and Puzzle, Casual, etc). It has a “Dev’s Choice” area for the developer’s own favorite apps and a “User’s Choice” area for what other users have liked. You can search, favorite an app, or open its Play Store’s listing, and suggest new apps. Wear Store is ad-supported with the option to remove ads for any amount between $1.25 and $6.80, depending on how much you want to support the developer.
Android Wear Store has more sections and organization
Download: Android Wear Store
3. r/AndroidWear
If you don’t want to use third-party offerings, but prefer to discover new apps through a community of like-minded people who also add their suggestions and comments, then you should check out this subreddit: r/AndroidWear. Aside from app suggestions, you will find suggestions, reviews, handy links, questions, replacement watchbands, and all kinds of Wear-related discussions.
4. Google+ Communities
All Android geeks are on Google+, well some of them at least. If you are a Google+ enthusiast, you will be happy to know that there are 3 burgeoning communities for Android Wear already: Android Wear Developers (mostly for a dev’s work in progress and questions), Android Wear (everything Wear, with an Apps section), and Android Wear Apps (just apps!)
