Android Wear aims to make apps more readily accessible but it hasn't found the best way to do so. The Wear Mini Launcher addresses accessibility concerns, making wearables truly worth wearing.
Google has done great work on the Android Wear but many consumers feel there's still something amiss with the latest in wearable technology. Just to be clear though, the Android Wear was not made to simply mimic what an Android smartphone can do. There's no point in that because a smartwatch's screen is just too tiny to exactly copy the functionality that Android has to offer. Android Wear exists to offer "information that moves with you." If information is expected to keep up with users, it makes sense then that it must be available on demand. Unfortunately, app access still has a few kinks and it's chipping away at the Android Wear experience.
Tapping, swiping, where to tap, where to swipe. Android Wear will have users digging through menus to access needed apps but made it a little bit easier to manage by putting Google Now at the heart of it. So far, however, some users are still not pleased. Developer Nicolas Pomepuy set out to do what Google hasn't by creating the Wear Mini Launcher.
Users simply install the app on an Android smartphone paired with an Android Wear smartwatch and installed apps can be accessed with just a swipe. The Wear Mini Launcher works on both the LG G Watch and the Samsung Gear Live but it looks like compatibility with the Gear Watch still has some bugs. The developer is on it, and it shouldn't be too long before the launcher starts working perfectly for the Samsung smartwatch. On the G Watch though, the Wear Mini Launcher is a dream.
"First, the gesture area is just the top left corner of the screen. So you swipe in from the edge and the scrollable app list should pop out. You have to be careful not to drag down at all, as that pulls the mute panel down. Starting your gesture too low can also grab your top card and swipe it away - it's best to go slow," shares Android Police of it experience with the Wear Mini Launcher.
A lot of Android Wear apps don't realize their full potential because of problems with access. The Wear Mini Launcher goes against the philosophy behind voice controls for Android Wear smartwatches but it is a good other option that power users will find useful when accessing apps.
The Wear Mini Launcher is free to download from Google Play.
