1. Custom watch faces
IMAGE: RAYMOND WONG/MASHABLE
From the very start, Google's allowed anyone to design and sell their own custom watch faces for Android Wear smartwatches. The Apple Watch, on the other hand, only has 11 watch faces, though they can be customized with "complications," little widget-like bits in each corner.
With Apple rejecting apps that display only the time, it's unlikely the company will allow third parties to design and sell digital watch faces without its official blessing. That's a real disappointment if you're really into customizations.
2. Always-on apps (soon)
To see the time on a smartwatch, you often have to raise your arm up in an exaggerated motion. This is fine if you're walking down the street, but just plain irritating when you're sitting down or want to glance at the time while you're typing.
Many Android Wear watches, including the LG G Watch R, include a feature called "always-on," which switches the smartwatch into a low-power state. In always-on mode, the watch face is stripped of almost all color, and some details (like a second hand) are pared down, in effort to conserve battery life while remaining on.
Android Wear 5.1.1 extends "always-on" to apps. Maps, for example, will get the same black-and-white treatment when you're not actively looking at them. However, the apps require an update to support the feature, so there aren't many with always-on baked in yet, so if you don't see any, be patient; they're coming.
3. Works over any Wi-Fi network
IMAGE: RAYMOND WONG/MASHABLE
The biggest knock on smartwatches, besides battery life, is that they're smartphonecompanions and need to be tethered via Bluetooth in order to work. Leave your smartphone at your desk and walk away or go for a run without your glass slab and your smartwatch stops getting notifications.
The Apple Watch still works over Wi-Fi if your iPhone is out of Bluetooth range, but the two must be connected to the same Wi-Fi network to work.
With the new Android Wear update, your smartwatch can still get alerts and notifications over Wi-Fi, even when your phone isn't within range. Unlike the Apple Watch, Android Wear watches running the latest version can connect to any Wi-Fi network (assuming you have access, of course), meaning your phone could be at home and your watch connected to Wi-Fi at work and you'll still get notifications. (You'll still need your smartphone to pair and activate an Android Wear smartwatch, so it's not quite phone-free... yet.)
4. Hand-drawn emoji
The Apple Watch has 3D-animated emoji — something many users have called creepy — and a sketch messaging feature. The latter lets you send a quick doodle to another person with an Apple Watch. The recipient can then watch the doodle animate itself.
On Android 5.1.1, your chicken-scratch emoji are automatically converted into proper emoticons. Google's drawing-to-emoji conversion is pretty spot on, too. It recognized everything from my terrible bicycle to my cat-that-looks-nothing-like-a-cat doodles.
5. Wrist-gesture controls
IMAGE: RAYMOND WONG/MASHABLE
Operating a smartwatch is a two-handed affair. You typically need to flick the arm that it's on to turn on the display and then use your other hand to tap and swipe it. It's annoying when you can't use your other hand. For example, when you're cooking and have chicken fat lathered all over your fingers, the last thing you want to do is touch your precious wearable.
In Android Wear 5.1.1, you can browse through Google Now cards with wrist gestures; Flick your wrist up fast and then slow back down to scroll down through notifications, and flick your wrist up slowly and then back down fast to scroll up.
It's not the most intuitive gesture way to control your wearable, but it's useful once you know how to do it.
6. Pattern lock screen
IMAGE: RAYMOND WONG/MASHABLE
Android has always been one step ahead of iOS in terms of lock screen security. While you can set a simple number passcode on the Apple Watch, Android Wear 5.1.1 does it one better with Android's familiar pattern lock screen. To be fair though, both security options work similarly: The lock screen feature kicks in only when it detects you've taken it off your wrist.
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