Google I/O 2024, the next edition of Google’s annual developer conference, is fast approaching, and at this event we hope the company will present the news they prepare for all their productsincluding more details on the new version of its mobile operating system, Android 15.
But ahead of the event, we’ve already been able to see some glimpses of what we’ll see in the new Android 15, largely thanks to the beta version of the operating system. Now the filter Michael Rahman and Android Authority discovered News for Wear OS: Android 15 will allow you to choose the device on which you play multimedia content using a watch.
More control over media playback, without having to touch your phone
Currently, one of the most useful and practical functions of Wear OS is being able to control media playback from a smart watch. For example, if we watch a video on our mobile or listen to music on Spotify from our mobile, we can pause the video or song directly from the watch; It is also possible to skip to the next song and control the playback volume.
This is a feature I use every day: if I’m walking down the street while listening to music on my favorite app, I can change songs or pause playback from my smartwatch. However, one thing we cannot do is change music playback from headphones to speakers, for example, using the watch. To do this we will have to use our cell phone.
When this function is available we can change music playback from headphones to speakers directly from the watch
This is something that, according to Rahman’s recent discovery, will change from Android 15. The expert discovered in the code of the latest beta version of the operating system a new permission associated with the companion application for Wear OS on mobile. The authorization is called Media_Routing_Controland refers to the possibility of changing the output device (or “Output”) in the playback chain from a smartwatch, without having to use the cell phone.
As we mentioned before, the idea of this feature is to make it more versatile to control the playback of media files from the watch. For example, we can change a YouTube video from the mobile screen to a tablet or Android TV, or simply stop playing music on our speakers and send it directly to our headphonesto continue listening to the same song or podcast outside the home.
Wear OS smartwatches have evolved in terms of possibilities over the last few years, with many apps that can work independently (like Spotify, Gmail, and even WhatsApp) and even the ability to use ChatGPT and other really cool apps . At Google I/O, we hope to learn more about Android 15 and Wear OS.
Cover photo | José Garcia for Xataka
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