Let’s say you’ve got your new LG G Watch and you want to know how to get it set it up. The process is about the same for any SmartWatch right now that is on the Android Wear platform, but you’ll obviously get somewhat different screens if you’ve got the Moto 360 or the Samsung Gear Live. Today, the official app is not publicly available in Google’s Play Store, so here’s a way to get it via the back channels. The process will be much easier though in the future, of course, as more and more of these gizmos become available, the Play Store will catch up.
Setting Up SmartWatch Using Android Wear
Setting up your smartwatch on Android Wear is simple:
1. First, be sure to charge your smartwatch. The LG G Watch doesn’t have buttons so you will need to dock it in the charging cradle so it turns on. Once it’s on, it will stay on until the battery dies, exactly like your SmartPhone.
2. The next step is that you’ll need the official Android Wear app. It is available from the Play Store, just install it on your smartphone.
3. If you were at Google I/O, then your registration account is already whitelisted. Now, go to the next step.
4. If you were not at Google I/O, you just need to visit: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/io14androidweardev/.
This is where you can join the Google Play Services preview for Android Wear page to register your email address in order to be whitelisted.
5. Next, you need to sign up as a “tester” for the latest Google Play Services.
6. Sign up as a “tester” for the latest Google Search.
7. Last, sign up as a “tester” for Android Wear.
8. Now, you can access the Google Play Store link for the Android Wear app.
9. Accept the permissions, and then pair with your smartwatch. Then, your smartwatch will do a little downloading and you are golden. The smartwatch will reboot, then you select your language, and that’s all there is to it.
10. You might be prompted to update Google Search and reinstall the Android Wear app. If you are, just follow the instructions to complete the process. And don’t forget to turn on the Android Wear notifications.
11. It’s possible you may also need to enable contact recognition before making voice calls. To do this, just go to the Google Settings app (> Search & Now > Accounts & Privacy) and check the box that is next to contact recognition. Then you’ll be able to call your contacts from your SmartWatch.