Load the Game

Google Play Services 5.0 rolling out with dedicated Android Wear apps section

• Steve Freeman
• July 4th, 2014

The Google Play Services 5.0 update is rolling out to all devices running Android 2.3 or higher. The new version mostly focuses on developers and the greatest change that it brings is a special section for Android Wear apps.  “Google Play Services 5.0 is now rolled out to devices worldwide, and it includes a number of features you can use to improve your apps. This release introduces Android wearable services APIs, Dynamic Security Provider and App Indexing, whilst also including updates to the Google Play game services, Cast, Drive, Wallet, Analytics, and Mobile Ads.”, we can read in an Android Developers’ blog entry. According to Google, the Google Play Services 5.0 will feature a Google Cast SDK that will provide closed caption support for Chromcast, but it will also bring a new set of APIs called Quests. The new update will come with updated Google Drive API and Google Wallet (with the addition of a new “Save to Wallet” button). Google Play Services 5.0 will further improve analytics and will add a new (default) implementation for purchases that will use the Google Play in-app billing service in Mobile Ads.

In regards to Android Wear, at the moment you will find 24 apps available in the specialized section of Google Play. Among these you will find social apps, food apps, news apps, and even financial, travel or language learning apps. Here you will find the main apps list:

• Onefootball Brasil – World Cup
• Highlight
• IFTTT
• Contacts+
• Bandsintown Concerts
• Level Money
• Banjo
• Duolingo
• Eat24 Food Delivery
• Glympse
• Evernote Wear
• Hangouts
• Talkray
• Player FM
• The Guardian
• Thomson Reuters Eikon
• Pinterest
• 1Weather: Widget Forecast Radar
• Allthecooks Recipes
• Personal Capital Finance
• Google Maps
• Fly Delta
• American Airlines
• Zumper

Some apps are not featured on the main list, for example:

• CloudMagic
• LevelUp
• Tweetings
• Trello
• Truecaller

Android smartphones are not widespread at the time as there are few customers who own one, but as this update shows, companies see a huge potential in Android Wear. This explains the rapid development of compatible apps for it and Google’s large-scale advertising. In case you are among the lucky few who actually owns and uses Android Wear apps, please share your experiences with us in the comment section bellow.