With the latest update to Android Wear 5.1 comes support for direct WiFi connectivity from your watch, meaning that if your phone is powered off, out of range or otherwise unavailable, your watch can connect directly to the internet via WiFi to keep some of its features working.
Of course, some things probably won’t work over WiFi (hard to send an SMS if your phone isn’t available, for example) but depending on how Google has wired it up behind the scenes, even things like this could be functional if your phone is connected to WiFi as well, but not to your watch.
Regardless, to take advantage of any of these features, you’re going to need to have an Android Wear device that is actually capable of WiFi connectivity. Fortunately for us, most Android Wear devices are compatible, but there’s just a few out there that aren’t.
Here’s what we know at the moment. The following watches are known and confirmed compatible:
- Motorola 360
- Sony Smartwatch 3
The following are in doubt – support is possible, but unconfirmed:
- Samsung Gear Live
- LG Watch Urbane
The following are known (or strongly suspected) not to support WiFi:
- LG G Watch
- LG G Watch R
- ASUS Zenwatch
Ed: Updated with new information about compatibility. Sorry folks! Changing sources make accurate information difficult sometimes.
So now some reports say the LG G Watch R is going to support WiFi but some other websites (phandroid) have supposedly reached out to LG and got confirmation that it is in fact NOT going to support WiFi, not sure who is right this time…
As I understand the LG G Watch does not have WiFi but the LG G Watch Royal does have WiFi
Upgrading just for WiFI, does not make sense, with the cost to upgrade I will wait.
I also am waiting for watches with better screens and longer battery life.
link to said confirmation?
We often get Confirmations from companies verbally or in emails, there are no actual links to point to except what is in the article.
fair enough, well for some more tangible evidence, i just grabbed the wear update and can confirm 100% that wifi sync doesn’t work on the LG G Watch, you can activate the setting, which google says “if you watch has wifi…” but doesnt actually attempt a test, disabling bluetooth turns the watch into essentially a dumb watch like it always has.
Sorry Chris its just the G watch not the R? At the end of the article you said G watch R and if people would consider to upgrade? I’m happy my sony watch 3 is on the list should plug it into PC companion and see if the update is there.
Sorry, it is just the G Watch that doesn’t support WiFi. G Watch R / Urbane do.