Telegram’s smartwatch app now works standalone, gets redesigned for Android Wear 2.0

Telegram has announced that its Android Wear app — which isn’t new itself — has just been updated to work with Android Wear 2.0. That means you’ll be able to use the app without a tethered Android phone, and as you can see in the above screenshots, the app also features the new darker look of Android Wear 2.o.

Per the company’s blog post about the update:

Using this tiny yet powerful app, you can browse your chats and quickly reply to messages with voice, text, emoji, or stickers. You can also view your contacts and even create groups right from your watch.

The functionality of the app is about what you would expect from a mini version of Telegram, allowing you to browse through chats, view contacts, and create groups. But with Android Wear 2.0, the app of course takes advantage of the newly-added abilities to send messages via a keyboard or handwriting recognition.

Telegram also notes that you’re not stuck with the deep blue default look of Android Wear 2.0. You can change themes to customize the look of the UI, and Telegram even notes that this functionality is soon coming to the Telegram app on Android.

If you have a device running Android Wear 2.0, you can head over to the Play Store on your watch and search for Telegram to grab the app. You can also find it on the Play Store.