The Android Wear operating system can now be updated through the Play Store, and today it is. The Android Wear application is about to be updated to v2.6, as pointed out by an APK file over at AKPMirror, which will bring several new features and improvements.

Samsung’s Gear S3 smartwatches aren’t the only timepieces being updated this week, because Google has a fresh Android Wear update, though it is somewhat minor. Most Android Wear devices will be able to grab this one, since it’s not an OTA update. The whole idea is to get features onto more people’s wrists, reducing the need for manufacturers to get involved in the update process that all together take forever. This also prevents further fragmentation to the operating system.

Included in the update, first and foremost, is a more streamlined recent apps menu. This should make it easier for users to switch between recently used apps on the platform. Think of it like the menu we’ve had on Android mobile for many years. We have also gained the ability to check the download progress of any app as well as our current network connectivity status (cellular or Wi-Fi), which can be viewed right up front within the notification shade.

Speaking of notifications, they will now alter automatically to scale text for your device’s display. This should prevent not only text from being cut off the screen, but also prevent incomplete phrases or sentences from being shown because the text can shrink itself to fit your screen. Sensitivity has also been improved with this update, so perhaps we’ll be able to use gloves and interact with our Android Wear watch in the cold without touch latency or recognition issues.

Is Google showing a sign of hope for the Android Wear platform? We sure hope so, but Google still has a long way to go in fixing the platform to be a legitimate rival to other systems. Let us know if you spot anything else that’s new as part of this app update, down in the comments.

Grab the APK here, or hit the link below to Google’s Play Store, where the update should show soon.

[Android Wear – Download Link]

SOURCE [Android Police]