Android ar, perhaps the least fussy fiddly of all smartwatch platforms, is about to get even easier to use.  will soon roll out a system update that adds improved support for Android ar’s always-on mode; gestures that make scrolling through notifications easier;  even the ability to scribble emojis directly on your watch screen.

There’s also new -Fi support, letting you use all of Android ar’s functions even when your phone is beyond Bluetooth range. It’s an ambitious collection of tricks—arguably ’s biggest Android ar update ever— it’s being revealed just days before Apple begins shipping its Apple tch, the most anticipated smartwatch of all.

The timing is thick with intrigue, especially in light of renewed chatter that is aiming to pair Android ar watches with iones. A source with knowledge of ’s plans has told that ’s Android ar iOS app is essentially done.

More about the ione angle at the bottom of this article. For now, let’s jump into the Android ar update that announced Monday in a blog post, will first appear in the tch Urbane when that smartwatch is released in the coming weeks. 

ways-on support for apps

One of Android ar’s best features is its always-on watchface: a black–white dial persists in “ambient” mode, allowing you to glance at the time even when you haven’t raised the watch to your face. th the new Android ar update, app developers will be able to use that same battery-saving ambient mode, adding more utility to apps we use for extended periods.

As you can see in the animation below, the ambient mode is useful for navigation note-taking apps that you want to keep on-screen check periodically. 

This feature is available to all app developers, but will roll out first in ’s Keep Maps apps. There won’t be any settings in the Android ar app to toggle always-on mode for individual apps that support the feature. Instead, developers who take advantage of ambient mode will need to provide that switch in their own software.

“It’s up to the developer on how they want to implement that, but we expect them to do the right thing,” said ff Chang, lead project manager for Android ar. “But of course if you have a shopping list, it’s in this ambient mode, you decide ‘I don’t want that,’ you just exit the app. That doesn’t change.”

In person, the ambient-mode apps look great. Now just needs to go one step further, make it possible for all operation to be black–white (at the user’s discretion) to save battery life.

Scroll gesture contacts launcher

Android ar users already know the hassle of scrolling through notifications when their hs are full. is addressing this problem with two new wrist-flick gestures that scroll back forth through notifications. It’s as intuitive as what you see in the animation below:

The new gestures should come in hy when you’re carrying packages, cradling infants, or Segwaying through your utopian corporate campus. 

is also adding an apps contacts launcher directly to ar’s main UI—a long-awaited feature that obviates the need for third-party apps like ar Mini uncher. Swipe left once to access a list of your most frequently used apps. Swipe left again for a list of frequently used contacts. Tap on a contact, you get all of ar’s communication options: send a text, call, etc.

Once you use an app or contact, Android elevates it to the top of your lists, making sure your most frequently used items are front center.

-Fi support emoji draw

Some Android ar watches already have built-in -Fi that’s sitting dormant. But -Fi is a top-line feature of the upcoming tch Urbane, this will be the first model to take advantage of the system update’s -Fi support. The new feature lets you get notifications, use apps, send Hangout messages even when your phone is out of Bluetooth range. 

For me, this means I can leave my phone upstairs, but still use my ar watch in the backyard. -Fi will drain your watch battery faster than Bluetooth, but data transfers between your phone watch will be faster. Stay tuned for watch manufacturers other than to announce the -Fi feature on their own.

The final update feature puts emoji messaging right on the tip of your finger. Using the same core technology employed in ’s hwriting keyboard, the system update lets you draw emoji characters directly on the watch screen. Android ar recognizes what you’ve drawn, then shoots back a set of the closest matching emoji. From there, you can message the fully rendered emoji icons to your contact—a nice convenience for those times when you just shouldn’t voice-dictate an intimate message into your watchface.

Chang said collected “a hundred-something thous” emoji samples from dog-fooding rs, fed them into a training model to arrive at the accuracy of the emoji recognition engine. I only saw it in action briefly, but was impressed by the engine’s ability to render very fine finger strokes, recognize bus cat emojis from the simplest of scribbles. Seriously: That doodle in the image above is a thumbs-up?

The system’s emoji picker elevates your most recent choices to the top, you can string emoji together for fully-formed sentences—or literary synopses. The new emoji draw feature is implemented on the system level, so it will automatically be available to all messaging apps, not just Hangouts, whenever you see Android ar’s voice prompt.

ione support imminent?

If you’ve been following the smartwatch scene, you can’t help but draw comparisons between ’s new emoji feature Apple’s approach to the same problem of sharing discreet personal messages without using voice dictation. ll, if the stars align just so, ione users may eventually be able to try ’s emoji approach for themselves.

A source with knowledge of ’s plans told me ’s development of an Android ar app for ione is essentially complete, he’s “fairly sure” has submitted the app to Apple. Because app approval remains up in the air, decided to announce its latest version of Android ar—code-named “Diamond”—on Monday without any mention of iOS support, the source said.

Of the possibility of an iOS app, a spokesperson told me, “ don’t have anything to announce right now.” 

My source’s information basically matches up to what was reported by The Verge two weeks ago. It’s also worth noting that ’s Chang expressed interest in cross-platform compatibility when he spoke to The Huffington st last October. 

The prospect of pairing a G tch Urbane or Huawei tch to iones could be enticing for iOS users who’ve vested themselves in the apps services universe—or simply want an elegant-looking smartwatch with a round display.

Apple’s developer’s guidelines specifically reject apps that mention competing platforms, but perhaps has worked out a deal to get around it. That’s certainly a possibility considering the development resources we can surmise has dedicated to the iOS effort.

For now, the latest Android ar update is only for Android phone users. ’ll post information on the availability of tch Urbane, the first watch to receive the system update, as soon as it’s available.