Many Android Wear smartwatches, such as Moto 360, LG G watch, Samsung Gear, Huawei Watch, Asus Zenwatch, etc. have recently updated to Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow. As the OTA (over the air) update distribute in phases, it will take few days to get the update notification on your device. Also, depending on the region and device make, the OTA update take several days or weeks to appear on your device. If you do not want to wait for the OTA (over the air) update, you can install it manually.
In this guide, we will show you how to manually install Marshmallow OTA update on Android Wear Smartwatches. The Marshmallow (Android 6.0.1) update said to be one of the biggest improvements in Android Wear. The update includes various new features, performance boost and bug fixes.
Depending on your device, the update brings new wrist gestures, voice action, screen dimming, app permissions, speaker support, navigation gestures, doze battery saving feature and many more to your smartwatch.
Note: the below method requires to connect your watch to your PC via USB cable. If your device does not support USB connection (like the first Gen Moto 360), then wait for the over the air update.
How Install OTA Update Manually on Android Wear smartwatches
Disclaimer: The guide is for tech-savvy users only. It must be done entirely at your own risk. We cannot take responsibility for anything that goes wrong.
Note: Before start, make sure that you have latest device drivers for your Android Wear device on your PC. Get it from the official page of your device manufacturer.
1. Setup ADB and fastboot drivers on your PC (See instruction here)
2. Enable ADB debugging on your Android Wear smartwatch. To do so, tap the screen > scroll to the Settings > About > Build number. Tap on build number until the message ‘You are now a developer’ appears. Use the new Developer Settings menu below the ‘About’ option to enable USB debugging.
3. Download the latest OTA update zip file (Android 6.0.1 marshmallow) for your Android Wear watch [HERE]. Rename the file as ‘update.zip’ and save it inside your ADB installation folder (C:\adb)
(The update file is available for LG G Watch R, Moto 360, Samsung Gear, Huawei Watch, Asus Zenwatch, Sony, and other)
4. Connect your Android wear device to your PC via a USB cable. You will be prompted to authorize your computer the first time you connect via USB for security reasons.
5. Now on your PC, go to the ADB installation folder (C:\adb) and open a command window there. To do so, press Shift key on the keyboard and right-click on an empty space and select ‘Open command window here’ option.
6. Type the command ‘adb devices’ to check the connectivity between your PC and Android wear. If no device is found, install proper driver for your device and then proceed the next step.
7. Now, issue the below command to reboot your Android Wear device to the bootloader
adb reboot bootloader
8. Once done, issue the below command to sideload the OTA update zip file
adb sideload update.zip
Note: If you are on Mac, use the command ‘./adb sideload update.zip’ or on Linux use the command ‘sudo adb sideload update.zip’ to flash the OTA.
9. Now, the OTA update starts to install on your Android Wear smartwatch. After finishing the installation, reboot your device. If you have any doubt, leave it in the comment section below (Source – Reddit)
