Skype has announced a new update that adds support for Android Wear smartwatches.
The Microsoft-owned communication service has released Skype 6.4 for Android, which adds the ability to manage conversations from your wrist.
With the update, owners of smartwatch devices such as the Moto 360, Huawei Watch, LG Watch Urbane and Asus ZenWatch – and those are just the devices that Skype name-drops – will receive Skype message notifications on their devices.
You’ll also be able to respond to those messages directly on your Android Wear device using voice-to-text inputs, or you can select from a range of canned responses. It’s also possible to draw on your watch and respond with an emoji.
As for calls, it’s possible to decline or accept incoming Skype calls from your Android Wear watch, but the actual conversation part will require your Android phone’s mic, plugged-in headphones, or a wireless Bluetooth speaker or headset. However, your watch can continue to be used to mute and end calls, and switch to another call.
SEE ALSO: Apple Watch vs Android Wear
Android Wear users will perhaps feel a little hard done by, since Microsoft added Skype support for the Apple Watch way back at the end of April. That means it’s taken five months to make its way over to Android Wear.
Skype 6.4 for Android is available to download now from the Google Play Store.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.