Moto 360 Update Brings Connection and Battery Improvements

After a rocky Moto 360 release with orders selling out within hours, stock being depleted, and buyers not able to get their hands on the new smartwatch we’ve been finally receiving good news all week long. After learning that orders are starting to ship ahead of schedule, today Google and Motorola pushed out a quick Moto 360 update.

Motorola’s new smartwatch, the Moto 360, which is powered by Google’s new Android Wear mobile operating system designed for wearable devices has been available since the first week of the month, even if buyers have had a hard time finding it in stock. While it arrived over two months later than other Android Wear watches, Moto and Google are wasting no time and have already started with updates delivering improvements.

Read: Apple Watch vs Moto 360: Key Differences

Android Wear was first debuted back in March along with the Moto 360, but when it finally arrived the Moto 360 was no where to be found. A few months later it was finally released running the latest version of Android Wear, but an update arrived this week users will want to accept. Read on for all the details.

Motorola is currently rolling out a Moto 360 software update that will address a number of small issues, fix some bugs, improve performance, as well as a few other things.

For those paying attention this update is build KGW42R, the same Android Wear 4.4.1w that others have been enjoying, but brings a number of improvements as we mentioned above. However, it’s the Bluetooth connectivity fix that should have users excited. We’re hearing the device should be a bit more smooth and responsive, but more importantly connectivity is much improved.

According to Motorola the update fixes a few major problems with Bluetooth connectivity and drops, which as you all know, is a major drain on battery life. While the changelog doesn’t specifically mention battery life, any improvements to the connection, and lack of drops, will keep the watch powered on longer.

Momentary disconnects between the smartwatch and users smartphones were happening on a frequent basis. This causes the devices to search for a device and repair each time, which could be effecting some users performance, incoming notifications, and of course battery life. Here’s the full changelog.

• Bluetooth connectivity: Improved Bluetooth connectivity between the watch and phone to reduce momentary disconnects experienced by some users.
• Charging notification: Added a message to confirm that Moto 360 is charging in cases when its battery is fully depleted.
• Bug fixes: Implemented bug fixes and other system optimizations.

Second, you’ll now be able to see a notification when the device is charging from a fully depleted state. Before there was no signs of charging, which had some users worried about the device. This is a small change, but another important one.

Then last but not least they’ve reportedly squashed some bugs and implemented some system optimizations that should improve overall performance. Some have reported lag while flipping through Google Now cards, replying to messages, or other things on the small 1.56-inch display, but out time with the Moto 360 has been relatively smooth.

Keep in mind that this is a small update delivered by Motorola, and not an update to Android Wear as a platform. Earlier this month Google confirmed some major improvements and new features were coming soon to Android Wear smartwatches, including the Android L release, so we can still expect tons of changes in the very near future.

Users can head into settings on your Moto 360 and check for updates in settings, or wait for the notification to arrive on your wrist. Then a quick tap is all that’s needed. It’s is recommended that you have a near-full battery before starting the update.