Watches that run Google’s Android Wear software currently lets you view notifications and other information on your wrist while using a touchscreen to navigate. Android Wear watches also have built-in microphones which you can use to speak commands or questions.

But one thing Android Wear doesn’t currently support is a speaker: if you want to listen to music, phone calls, or other audio, you’ll need to pair a Bluetooth speaker with your watch.

Google may have plans to change that though: at least two Android Wear watches that are already on the market have speakers tucked inside their cases. Perhaps a future software update will make those speakers useful?

zenwatch 2 speaker

We already knew that the Huawei Watch featured an unused speaker. Now Google Plus user David Sears has spotted a speaker in another Android Wear device: the Asus ZenWatch 2.

The Huawei Watch is a premium device with a starting price of $350, while the Asus ZenWatch 2 is a much more affordable device that sells for as little as $130. Clearly speakers aren’t reserved for high-priced hardware.

It also seems unlikely that Asus or Huawei would have included speakers in their watches if they didn’t expect them to be used at some point. So while Android Wear doesn’t currently let you do anything with a speaker, maybe you’ll be able to use your watch as a speakerphone, get spoken responses to your Google Voice Search questions, or even listen to some tunes on your watch in the future.

Speakers won’t be exclusive to Android Wear watches. The Apple Watch has a speaker, as do some of Samsung’s smartwatches with Tizen-based software.

via Phandroid

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4 replies on “Android Wear may add support for speakers”

  1. Yay! Now instead of the L-ion battery exploding and being able to drop it before it scorches your brain or body, now its permanently attached to your arm for much improved 3rd degree burn. Don’t you just love product development ideas these days?

  2. That Zen Watch 2, for the price, is pretty damned tempting just to play around with Android Wear. I was going to wait longer. But that price is hard to argue with in the current landscape.

  3. Hm… Maybe I’ll get a zenwatch 2 then. I’ve been waiting for speaker support, my lg g watch square is so slow and laggy. Does the zenwatch 2 have wifi support?

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