Google Is Making It Easier for Developers to Build Android Wearables

With wristband fitness trackers, smartwatches and other tech wearables gaining massive traction, Google will be making it easier for developers to create these types of devices for its Android platform.

Sundar Pichai, Google senior vice president of Android and Chrome, announced at the SXSW conference in Austin on Monday that the company will release a SDK (software developer kit) later this month, The Guardian reports. With an SDK, developers would finally have a guide to building wearable tech that runs Android, which up until now has been ad hoc (the first Galaxy Gear ran Android).

“In about two weeks, you will see us launch the first SDK for what we think of as Android for wearables,” Pichai said.

“When we think of wearables, we think of it as a platform. We see a world of sensors. Sensors can be small and powerful, and gather a lot of information that can be useful for users. We want to build the right APIs for this world of sensors.”

Pichai didn't mention if Google was working on a wearable device of its own, but this keeps Google's hat in the ring without the company developing anything just yet.

“From my standpoint and the team’s standpoint, we want to focus on the platform and the APIs," he added.

Google also has its sights on standardizing how wearable sensors send data to Android, which would make it easier for developers integrate all kinds of products into the Android ecosystem.

The news comes as rumors speculate Google is working on a smartwatch in partnership with LG.