Release notes for the 2nd gen Moto 360 detail Doze mode & other Android 6.0 features

Update: Release notes for Moto 360 (first generation) and Moto 360 Sport are now available as well.

Marshmallow for Android Wear was finally announced yesterday and the OTA update for the watches should begin at any moment. Motorola is the first out with release notes on more details about Android Wear 1.4 for their second generation Moto 360.

The release notes go into more detail about the features we already know about, like new wrist gestures, but it also reveals that Android Wear will also get Doze. Specifically, Doze mode “recognizes when your Moto 360 is idle and automatically goes into a deep sleep state. How does it work? When your watch is not charging and not in use, Doze mode shuts down unnecessary background processes to optimize power.” Additionally, it is paired with a screen dimming feature to help save battery life.

Similar to on phones running Android 6.0, Doze will definitely be a huge benefit for watches where the battery is much smaller in capacity. Other new features include the new app permissions model, improved performance when listening to audio using a Bluetooth headset, and support for new languages.

However, there is no mention of speaker support in the release notes and we will have to wait for users to get the update before we can see if the device has speakers. Motorola says the software update will be rolled to users over the next few days. Users will need at least 50% battery life to update to software version MEC23G.

Unfortunately, release notes are not yet up for the first generation Moto 360. Hopefully, users will not have to wait an extended period to get the update.