Android Wear 2.0 Complaint/Suggestion/Feedback Thread

[OMFGitsST6]

I own a Moto 360 Gen 2 that I've been loving and using daily for about a year and a half. The other day, I downloaded the Android Wear 2.0 update and the device has since become almost unusable. The entire reason why I bought it--as a convenient extension of my phone--is gone.

Below is a list of complains and compliments. Do what you will with them and send them to whomever you like.

Let me list the features that I DON'T like:

• Right to left swipe changes watch face instead of opening app menu
  
  
• Left to right swipe changes watch face instead of opening app menu (why two gestures?)
  
  
• If I have no notifications, why open the notification screen instead of just showing the white "there's nothing here" bumper like before?
  
  
• Why does swiping left OR right on a notification clear it instead of expanding it? They trashed the intuitive system of swiping right to advance deeper into a vertically arranged card system
  
  
• No bundled notifications, making the notification list clunkier
  
  
• No "Undo" button after clearing notifications
  
  
• Charging screen isn't true black any more, making it more invasive since and gaudy looking I use it as a bedside clock.
  
  
• Charging brings up the "customize" menu
  
  
• Crown button opens app menu instead of locking. I don't always want to palm my watch face with my potentially dirty hands.
  
  
• Messages don't auto send after I enter them by voice
  
  
• No full gesture operation
  
  
• More complex music controls screen
  
  
• "Okay Google" is now entirely replaced by the assistant, requiring me to handle my device
  
  
• Map direction no longer appear on screen
  

Features that I DO like:

• Airplane mode in the dropdown menu is convenient
  
  
• New app menu is nice
  
  
• Favoriting apps is a great feature to keep stuff I use the most at the top, but the apps I put there have reset, thus ruining this feature
  

I use my watch frequently while driving. 1.5 was simple enough that I rarely had to even glace at the watch to operate it. It could accept all off my voice commands and act as a hands-free device. The music controls were also simple enough and designed with large enough touch areas so that I could operate them without having to look at them.

Ultimately, I would like to downgrade from 2.0 to 1.5 It was just so much better in every utilitarian way. The new update has turned my watch from an extremely useful tool and extension of my phone into a simple toy.

This is completely ridiculous Google. How could they even think this was an acceptable update to release? If anyone knows a forum where Google's Android PR people read the posts, please send me there. They cannot go on thinking that this is fine and dandy when they have simply ruined the devices that installed the update.

 

[Unforgiven]

I agree with a whole lot of that.

 

[OMFGitsST6]

I got ahold of a higher end tech support email address. Apparently they also check this one for suggestions according to someone I talked to on the phone. Send in your complaints. Also, please demand that Motorolla provide a downgrade path to 1.5.

ceomoto@motorola.com

 

[jerrytaff]

If you want to revert to 1.5 can't you go through this procedure.... 1. remove Android Wear 2 on your phone, 2. unpair and reset your watch to factory settings, 3. install AW1.5 on your phone from its APK - easily found online, and then 4. re-pair your watch ? 5. It's a bit of a rigmarole, I know, and you'll have to find preventing the Apps from updating to AW2.

 

[The_Chief]

The one thing about Android Wear that really grinds my gears is that it is impossible to switch from one phone to another without completely wiping and resetting the watch. Even if it's a phone I've previously used, Android Wear can only handle one phone at a time. And no backups!

 

[Unforgiven]

@codesplice did it with some adb shell commands. Maybe he can post them here.

 

[The_Chief]

That's great, but the fact remains that it shouldn't require that. Hopefully Wear 3.0 will have backup & reset built in, as well as the ability to connect to two phones (just one at a time).

 

[codesplice]

Agreed - particularly with Android 2.0 placing the emphasis on standalone apps, it really doesn't make sense to require a reset to change phones. After all, you're really just effectively changing which Bluetooth router it's attached to.

Anyhoo, here's the article I followed: https://www.pixelspot.net/2017/06/28/connect-android-wear-device-new-phone-without-wiping/

It's really just two commands:

adb shell “pm clear com.google.android.gms && reboot”
adb shell “am start -a android.bluetooth.adapter.action.REQUEST_DISCOVERABLE”

You can then add the watch from the AW app on your phone.

 

[codesplice]

If you want to revert to 1.5 can't you go through this procedure.... 1. remove Android Wear 2 on your phone, 2. unpair and reset your watch to factory settings, 3. install AW1.5 on your phone from its APK - easily found online, and then 4. re-pair your watch ? 5. It's a bit of a rigmarole, I know, and you'll have to find preventing the Apps from updating to AW2.

Resetting the watch to factory resettings won't un-apply the 2.0 update. It's a firmware/OS update, and thus is preserved across resets. The AW app version doesn't really have anything to do with whether or not the watch will get the update either.

The only way to downgrade would be via a factory image, which I'm not sure if Motorola makes available.

 

[OMFGitsST6]

Resetting the watch to factory resettings won't un-apply the 2.0 update. It's a firmware/OS update, and thus is preserved across resets. The AW app version doesn't really have anything to do with whether or not the watch will get the update either.

The only way to downgrade would be via a factory image, which I'm not sure if Motorola makes available.

They do not. In fact, they provide absolutely no way to revert my utterly borked watch back to 1.5.

 

[doc1964]

I posted this on the Huawei watch site but thought i would post it here as well in case it helps anyone.
Well, with absolutely no help whatsoever from google i finally managed to get my watch fixed.
As i mentioned previously i tried every hint and tip i could find on line but could not get the watch to connect to my google account. Found a new post last night that i almost ignored as it seemed to cover everything that i had previously tried. But as i was at a loose end i thought i will give it a go. Well, when i came to step to add account, my account showed up. I nearly fell off my chair but it is finally working. Here is what i did. Thank you to Mats-Ove Fant whoo posted this.
Mats-Ove Fant said: Finally. After three hours I got AW to add my Google Account. Key actions. 1) First I did all the things to reset watch and phone (as clear all data for both cache and storage for AW, Google Play Service app, Google Play Store app and Google app on phone, resetting watch to factory settings). 2) Remove all Google accounts from your phone. Make sure 2-step verification is turned off for the account you are going to add. 3) Reconnected the watch, configured it and skipped the adding of the account. 4) Turn off WiFi on BOTH phone and watch. Seems to be important. 5) On your watch choose to add an Account. On my watch it opens AW on the phone. 6) AW informs you that you must add at least one Google account to the phone. I added my primary account and after that it was listed as available by AW. I chosed it and AW started to copy settings to the watch. I had to reinstall all my AW apps on the watch but at least it's working.
Now it looks like a watch.

Attached Files:

 

[The_Chief]

That is really bizarre, because I have a Huatch and have had no such issues. In fact, I've switched the watch from the Moto X Pure to the Note 7 to the Note 7 to the Moto X Pure to the Note 5 to the Moto X Pure to the Note 5 again. And if my Note 5 keeps pi$$ing me off, I'll switch back to the Moto X Pure before I get the Note 8. In every instance, I've had to reset the watch... but I haven't run into any issues with my Google account.
*knocks on wood*

 

[Owais Idris]

1. Notification Image used to be in background giving room for notification content. But not text is truncated at end. And even avatar is too small to identify some times. I am missing White Cards they were visible in day light too.
2.Replying: Every time I need to tap for choosing input type then I would use reply using voice then again tap to send it. I don't want to interact this much just for reply.. it is easier to pull out phone and get things done.
3.Disconnection: After upgrading my Asus zenwatch 2 to android 2.0 it disconnects 15 to 20 times a day and ask for pairing. The moment I need my watch most and keep my phone in my bag pack during riding it ask for pairing and there is no option I need to pull out my phone again to do so and in random it ask again on next block.
4. Call: Receiving calls was just easy in Android 1.5 i.e by swiping from left and decline from swipe right it was easy on a run to attend a call even without looking watch. Now there are 2 straight forward buttons I need to carefully aim for.
5. Dark Theme: I am not a fan for dark. I loved white/light it would be better if they could provide a preference to theme. This wear looks so dull to me.
6. Gestures: Android 1.5Gesture down would open App drawer. Then using gesture In or Out I could navigate App list. Then again Gesture down would open application. But in 2.0 I could reach until my app in drawer but need to tap to open app. Some apps like Fit glance of first screen is enough.
7. Assistant asks' too much question: It was easier to use google voice I don't know why. May be it was white and clear. I was royal. And would ask less questions.
8. Quick Action Panel from top: Although toggle switch for airplane mode is welcome. But I do find difficult to use brightness controls. Prior it was one toggle per screen. So if I would blindly keep on tapping only one field would be changing. For brightness I would appreciate if the would have provided just 2/3 states low light and outdoor that's it.
9. Call routing: I can change where my call can be routed from phone. But not from watch. Some time I am confused where is my call routed specially in crowded places.

 

[msamfil1]

Most of these on the first post are spot on. I have a few more to add to this list.

1. I used to be able to set a watch face and had no issues with it staying up there. Sometimes the watch face would press against someone and it pulls up the watch face selection, but it was not that bad. Now with the swiping and long press to change the watch face at least 20 times a day I look at my watch and there is either no watch face or it is on the select a watch face screen. This is so terrible. This is a watch ffs. Let us lock it so we can only change it from the menu if we want. This makes me want to throw my watch away which was my absolute favorite piece of tech that I owned until AW2.0.

2. The other reason I want to trash this thing is for the google assistant. It does not work half the time and I have to pull out my phone to do what I want only to find the next time it works.

3. The call answering is horrible as well. If Google made this update to make the watch unusable while driving then they did a great job. What was wrong with the swiping to answer? I am sick of accidentally hitting the hang up button and trying to use google assistant and it does not work and have to pull my phone out. COME ON FIX THIS!!

4. And the last reason I hate this update is because my watch is no longer hands free. I got this so I could drive safer and it worked incredible. Now I have to hit a stupid check to send messages making it so I no longer text from my watch. This is so bad that I want to get an apple watch... AND I HATE APPLE!!!!!

Come on Google!!! FIX THESE ISSUES! I see too many posts from people about these things and nothing is being done to fix them. This was the best hands free device I have ever owned and now I just can't use it at all and even as a watch only it fails because of having to select a watch face over and over again every single day.

FED UP!!! This needs an update now!

I own a Moto 360 Gen 2 that I've been loving and using daily for about a year and a half. The other day, I downloaded the Android Wear 2.0 update and the device has since become almost unusable. The entire reason why I bought it--as a convenient extension of my phone--is gone.

Below is a list of complains and compliments. Do what you will with them and send them to whomever you like.

Let me list the features that I DON'T like:

• Right to left swipe changes watch face instead of opening app menu
  
  
• Left to right swipe changes watch face instead of opening app menu (why two gestures?)
  
  
• If I have no notifications, why open the notification screen instead of just showing the white "there's nothing here" bumper like before?
  
  
• Why does swiping left OR right on a notification clear it instead of expanding it? They trashed the intuitive system of swiping right to advance deeper into a vertically arranged card system
  
  
• No bundled notifications, making the notification list clunkier
  
  
• No "Undo" button after clearing notifications
  
  
• Charging screen isn't true black any more, making it more invasive since and gaudy looking I use it as a bedside clock.
  
  
• Charging brings up the "customize" menu
  
  
• Crown button opens app menu instead of locking. I don't always want to palm my watch face with my potentially dirty hands.
  
  
• Messages don't auto send after I enter them by voice
  
  
• No full gesture operation
  
  
• More complex music controls screen
  
  
• "Okay Google" is now entirely replaced by the assistant, requiring me to handle my device
  
  
• Map direction no longer appear on screen

Features that I DO like:

• Airplane mode in the dropdown menu is convenient
  
  
• New app menu is nice
  
  
• Favoriting apps is a great feature to keep stuff I use the most at the top, but the apps I put there have reset, thus ruining this feature

I use my watch frequently while driving. 1.5 was simple enough that I rarely had to even glace at the watch to operate it. It could accept all off my voice commands and act as a hands-free device. The music controls were also simple enough and designed with large enough touch areas so that I could operate them without having to look at them.

Ultimately, I would like to downgrade from 2.0 to 1.5 It was just so much better in every utilitarian way. The new update has turned my watch from an extremely useful tool and extension of my phone into a simple toy.

This is completely ridiculous Google. How could they even think this was an acceptable update to release? If anyone knows a forum where Google's Android PR people read the posts, please send me there. They cannot go on thinking that this is fine and dandy when they have simply ruined the devices that installed the update.

 

[codesplice]

There are some great points in this thread. If you guys haven't already, please be sure to submit this feedback directly to the Android Wear team by using the Help & feedback > Send feedback option within the Android Wear app.