Unlike Wear 5 , the newest version has begun to push with little fanfare . Not only is it pushing out sooner than last years it is also a stable build and not an unofficial beta that will require a MAJOR bug fix within days of its release. Google really screwed the pooch last year for not only users but developers as well . Google always has a way of taking something great and making it FUBAR 1 update at a time but this time the step is a much more minor step back .
While my Ultra powered up and started even faster than before and my screen colors are even more gorgeous they added some things that just don't make sense while also changing a few things that are just a head scratcher . The worst , for me, is the battery level in the pull down menu . It was small but very readable with the last version but this one even an ant will complain about how tiny it is and that it tries , very badly, to combine a linear graph into the numbers . If your battery is less than 80% but more than 50% the numbers are pretty much white on white so not visible at all . Below 50% is much better and above 80% the number changes to a darker shade that is readable.
Notifications are am egg shape now and stacked in a vertical row that is far too easily deleted when trying to scroll multiple notifications . Your tiles are also now an egg shape instead of using the whole screen like before. Fine for younger eyes but not so much for mine .
The app drawer had taken a nice page from Nova Launcher and added apps that are most used show up at the top as well as the option to have the classic look or grid, like your phone can do . With grid you'll lose your existing folders but they can be easily done again .
Everything seems a little more snappy and I highly suggest doing a cache partition wipe after the update to make it even smoother between tasks .
There's more wallpaper options but they are pretty much just more of the same genres without anything game changing like with Wear 5 on the Ultra .
Oh , and custom ringtones and notification tones are reliably usable again ,a huge plus for me . When I get a phone call my Ultra can now play Predator Theme once again . Samsung might accidentally fix that back into oblivion but for now it's pretty cool to use my favorite file sharing Wear app and it work correctly .
There's more color in the different aspects and less white on dark gray font and less bleed of color behind every screen in an attempt to look blurred without being blurred everywhere except the pull down quick panel. That took the opacity of the icons down to about 60% as well as shrinking their size for no apparent reason . It held 6 per page before . It holds 6 per page now with much more bezel and more faded everything .
All in all this seems like a very minor update to go with a very minor watch ability update with the 8 series . With both Wear 6 and GW8 it seems looks were the only real changes .
Nothing to get excited about if you're on Wear 5 already .
While my Ultra powered up and started even faster than before and my screen colors are even more gorgeous they added some things that just don't make sense while also changing a few things that are just a head scratcher . The worst , for me, is the battery level in the pull down menu . It was small but very readable with the last version but this one even an ant will complain about how tiny it is and that it tries , very badly, to combine a linear graph into the numbers . If your battery is less than 80% but more than 50% the numbers are pretty much white on white so not visible at all . Below 50% is much better and above 80% the number changes to a darker shade that is readable.
Notifications are am egg shape now and stacked in a vertical row that is far too easily deleted when trying to scroll multiple notifications . Your tiles are also now an egg shape instead of using the whole screen like before. Fine for younger eyes but not so much for mine .
The app drawer had taken a nice page from Nova Launcher and added apps that are most used show up at the top as well as the option to have the classic look or grid, like your phone can do . With grid you'll lose your existing folders but they can be easily done again .
Everything seems a little more snappy and I highly suggest doing a cache partition wipe after the update to make it even smoother between tasks .
There's more wallpaper options but they are pretty much just more of the same genres without anything game changing like with Wear 5 on the Ultra .
Oh , and custom ringtones and notification tones are reliably usable again ,a huge plus for me . When I get a phone call my Ultra can now play Predator Theme once again . Samsung might accidentally fix that back into oblivion but for now it's pretty cool to use my favorite file sharing Wear app and it work correctly .
There's more color in the different aspects and less white on dark gray font and less bleed of color behind every screen in an attempt to look blurred without being blurred everywhere except the pull down quick panel. That took the opacity of the icons down to about 60% as well as shrinking their size for no apparent reason . It held 6 per page before . It holds 6 per page now with much more bezel and more faded everything .
All in all this seems like a very minor update to go with a very minor watch ability update with the 8 series . With both Wear 6 and GW8 it seems looks were the only real changes .
Nothing to get excited about if you're on Wear 5 already .
