Confirmed: Google Smartwatches will be released early 2017 with Android Wear 2.0

Jeff Chang, product manager for Android Wear has confirmed that those rumored Google Smartwatches that appeared a few months ago on news sites worldwide, do indeed exist and will be released in the first quarter of 2017 together with the final release of Android Wear 2.0. In an exclusive interview with The Verge, Jeff said, that they will not be Google branded but instead carry the name of the manufacturer, the same strategy that Google followed with the Nexus phones until recently. Unfortunately, the name of the manufacturer has not been revealed yet.

Android Wear 2.0 should have been released already but was delayed until early next year. According to Jeff Chang, there will be one final developer preview in January of next year which will bring the Google Assistent to Android Wear 2.0 in addition to Android Pay support. The release of the final version is expected for February or March of next year. Manufacturers who skipped introducing new watches with Android Wear 2.0 recently, will most likely announce new smartwatches during CES in January or at the Baselworld at the end of March. Finally, Jeff confirmed in his interview, that Android Pay will also work if the smartwatch is paired with an iPhone. Smartwatches that will receive an update to Android Wear 2.0 are:

• Moto 360 Gen 2
• Moto 360 Sport
• LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition LTE
• LG Watch Urbane
• LG G Watch R
• Polar M600
• Casio Smart Outdoor Watch
• Nixon Mission
• Tag Heuer Connected
• Fossil Q Wander
• Fossil Q Marshal
• Fossil Q Founder
• Michael Kors Access Bradshaw Smartwatch
• Michael Kors Access Dylan Smartwatch
• Huawei Watch
• Huawei Watch Ladies
• Asus ZenWatch 2
• Asus ZenWatch 3

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