Google releases final Android Wear 2.0 preview before launch next month

Google has announced that the final Android Wear 2.0 developer preview is now available, ahead of the public launch of the new platform expected next month. Developer Preview 5’s big new feature is compatibility with iOS devices, which means that third-party app developers will be able to make their apps available to iPhone users with Android Wear watches for the first time. Prior to this, Android Wear watches could only access watchfaces and apps that Google distributed through the Android Wear iOS app.

In addition, Google says this preview version adds the option for a new navigation drawer for apps and support for NFC Host Card Emulation, which should pave the way for Android Pay on supported watches.

Google says the public version of Android Wear 2.0 will be available in early February, and prior reports have pegged the date to February 9th. It will debut on a pair of new watches, which are expected to be manufactured by LG, and will then be distributed to existing Android Wear models at a later date. Let’s hope the new watches look a little better than what’s been leaked so far.

Developers can download the latest preview version of Wear 2.0 and begin testing their apps today.