Last month at Google I/O, Android Wear was finally launched and two devices were released running the new platform; the Samsung Galaxy Gear Live and the LG G Watch.
Android Wear may only be a month old, but there are already a number of great apps for the smartwatch platform emerging quickly.
Developers have been updating their apps with Android Wear support quickly, so we’ve rounded up the best apps you’ve got to install on your new smartwatch.
You can also view all 15 on one page.
Pixtocam
Google recently updated its official camera app to add a remote camera trigger on your smartwatch, but Pixtocam takes it one step further by turning it into a remote viewfinder for your phone’s camera.
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Pretty great if you want to take a selfie and there’s nobody around to help out and makes for a great demo of your watch’s capability.
Flopsy Droid
Anyone could have predicted Flappy Bird would come to Android Wear and it was only a matter of time until someone ported it over. This clone of Flappy Bird replaces the bird with an Android mascot and was the first game to hit Android Wear.
Perhaps it’s less embarrassing to play on your wrist than your phone?
Lyft
There’s nothing that makes you feel like it’s the future more than ordering a cab from your wrist. Lyft’s latest update for Android brings support for simply saying “OK Google, order me a cab” and it’ll bring a Lyft to your location with updates on the driver’s ETA right on your wrist.
Lyft’s Android Wear update is part of its main app, so just install it like normal on your Android device and it’ll appear on your smartwatch too.
Trello
If you’re obsessed with organizing things using Trello, you can now do it from your wrist! Instead of making new cards like a caveman in a web browser, you can just ask your watch to do it! If you’re really into organizing, you’ll now get notifications from Trello on your wrist, too.
Trello’s Android Wear update is part of its main app, so just install it like normal on your Android device and it’ll appear on your smartwatch too.
Tinder
Not satisfied with messaging potential dates all day on your phone? Now you can swipe left or right directly on your wrist.
You’ll get notifications about interesting people in your area and new matches right there on your wrist. We truly live in the future.
Tinder’s Android Wear update is part of its main app, so just install it like normal on your Android device and it’ll appear on your smartwatch too.
Internet Browser for Wear
Finally, the web browser you’ve been waiting for. Why pull out your phone to surf the web when you can do it with barely any movement, on a tiny screen? These are questions humanity may never answer, but now that we’ve got powerful screens on our wrist, the question is why not?
With Internet Browser for Wear, you say the website you want to visit and it determines the destination automatically for you. It’s not particularly useful to browse the web on such a tiny screen, but it is kind of fun.
Bunting
The very first Twitter client for Android Wear that lets you send tweets with only your voice. This is pretty cool for when you can’t reply fully and allows you to browse your timeline too.
When you tweet using Bunting you’ll feel like David Hasselhoff in Knight Rider, guaranteed.
Wear Volume
Everyone’s had this problem; your phone is playing music on the other side of the room while you cook or clean and you want to change the volume but can’t get over there.
Wear Volume solves that problem by letting you change the volume right from your wrist. It’s simple, but genius and is far more useful than you’d expect.
Runtastic
With Runtastic’s latest update, you can start your run or bike from your wrist and view statistics as you exercise. After you’re done, Runtastic will show you maps and overall statistics without needing to pull out your phone.
Android Wear could eventually become a replacement for many sports watches with this app, as it gives you many stats at a glance.
Wear Calc
Want to emulate the Casio calculator watch look from the 80’s? This is the app for you. Do math on the go, without a bulky phone!
Wear Calc is completely free and only runs on Wear.
Pyrus
Project management is now possible your wrist. Impress your boss by being on top of everything; respond to project updates, approving updates and more with just your voice and a swipe on the screen.
Pyrus’ Android Wear update is part of its main app, so just install it like normal on your Android device and it’ll appear on your smartwatch too.
Find my Phone
If you’re like me and you lose your phone a lot, this app is great. It can alert as you go out of range of your Android phone and allows you to trigger an alarm if you’ve lost it.
Provided you’re still in range, this could save you when it’s lost much faster than logging into the Android find phone service.
➤ Play Store [Free for basic, $0.99 for advanced features]
AllTheCooks
Great for when you’re cooking and your hands are dirty. AllTheCooks shows the next step of the recipe you’re working on, so you don’t have to dirty up your phone. Genius!
WearLock
Android L is getting the ability to check if your watch is near the phone and will automatically unlock if detected, but until then, this app brings the functionality to KitKat devices.
If your watch is nearby, this app will keep your phone unlocked but if it goes out of range, will lock the device instantly.
Custom Watchfaces
WearFaces brings custom watchfaces to the smartwatch. Google has announced it will have an official API for this in the future, but in the meantime this app allows you to download community designed watches or create your own.
And even more
There are so many apps for Android Wear now that it would be impossible to mention them all, so here’s a list of other apps, many of which have simply added basic Android Wear support to their main apps:
- The Guardian
- IFTTT
- CloudMagic
- Wunderlist
- 1Weather
- Duolingo
- MusicBoss
- American Airlines
- Fly Delta
- Hue Control
- Match.com
- Bandsintown
- Banjo
- Paypal
- Evernote
Don’t miss: You can download the wallpapers from the Android L Developer Preview right now
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