LG’s Watch Urbane 2nd Edition will be getting its Android Wear 2.0 update at the beginning of May, LG announced in a press release. When it launched in late 2015, the LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition garnered a lot of attention because it was the first Android Wear watch to come with a built-in LTE modem, allowing the wearable to make and receive calls and get notifications without being tethered to either a Wi-Fi network or your phone’s Bluetooth connection. New features introduced in Google’s Android Wear 2.0 operating system improve support for wearables with built-in cellular connectivity, like the LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition. Android Wear 2.0 allows native apps to run on the watch and comes with an Android Wear app store to directly download applications to the watch without having to go through your phone. Google Assistant is also present on Google’s new wearable operating system.
Other features that will be available through Android Wear 2.0 include an improved user interface that makes Android Wear easier to navigate on circular watches and enhanced messaging support. Additionally, the update will also activate the NFC radio inside the LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition, enabling support for Android Pay. Android Pay on wearables allows users to leave behind their phones and wallets when shopping at merchants with compatible tap-to-pay terminals for processing payments. While Android Wear 2.0 already started rolling out to wearers of the LG G Watch R and LG Watch Urbane, only the LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition will support Android Wear.
Google originally announced that Android Wear 2.0 would be available in February to owners of existing smartwatches, but the update was subsequently delayed due to the late discovery of bugs. Google has since started to roll out the update in small batches as it irons through any initial glitches. In addition to the LG G Watch R, LG Watch Urbane and LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition, LG also worked with Google to debut new watch models that launched with Android Wear 2.0 out of the box. These models are the LG Watch Style and the LG Watch Sport. The newer LG Watch Sport comes with a similar LTE modem to the LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition, but comes with a digital crown that allows wearers to scroll through the Android Wear user interface without having to touch, tap or flick through the watch’s small screen.