FaceTune’s new Memoji app morphs your selfies into animated emojis

This isn’t an April Fools’ joke: the developer behind Facetune made an app that turns your face into an emoji.

Israel-based Lightricks’ newest app, Memoji, blends emoji cartoon characters with an image of your face. In other words, you can now emojify your selfies. The app uses artificial intelligence and image-processing technology to animate any the selfie so that it goes along with the applied emoji to reflect a feeling or emotion.

The developer’s other popular app, Facetune, uses similar technology to make selfies look more beautiful. Meitu is yet another app that has made headlines in recent months for its ability to edit selfies so that they’re flawless. These beautifying and face-morphing tricks can even be found in apps like Snapchat and Facebook, both of which allow you to broadcast and then apply lenses that can either alter your face or your background – all in real time.

• What is Meitu and why is everyone using it?
• What is Facebook Stories and how does it work?
• What’s the point of Snapchat and how does it work?

But unlike those apps, Memoji is more about transforming selfies after the fact to reflect an emotion like happy, shocked, or sad. The image is instantly adjusted, animated, and overlaid with parts of an emoji, such as sunglasses. You can then share your creation as a GIF, video, or image. Unfortunately, Memoji is only available for iOS.

It’s a free download from Apple’s App Store. An Android version is reportedly in the works, though.

Apple might add its True Tone auto-adjusting display to iPhone 8 models

Remember Apple’s True Tone display? It’s coming to the iPhone.

Here’s the thing: this information comes from a research note from investment bank Barclays, as reported by MacRumors. These types of research notes, including notes from analysts like KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, often correctly predict future product features. Apple’s True Tone display is only available on the 9.7-inch iPad Pro. It works a lot like the white-balance-compensating system found in the iPhone’s camera flash, allowing the iPad’s screen to determine the right percentage and intensity of white light needed. Whites tend to look different under different light, but with True Tone, the iPad can shift how its display looks no matter the lighting condition.

• What is Apple’s True Tone display?
• How to turn on Apple’s Night Shift mode and adjust the colour on Macs

In other words, True Tone displays can adjust the appearance of the screen based on your environment. So, whether you’re outside in sunlight or sitting in a dim basement, your display will adjust accordingly in order to be easy on the eyes. In fact, this feature is also similar to Night Shift, another iOS and MacOS feature designed to reduce the amount of blue light you see during the evening hours.

Barclays claimed True Tone will be available on all three of Apple’s next iPhones, which it’s calling the iPhone 7S, iPhone 7S Plus, and iPhone 8. Check out Pocket-lint roundup to see what else they might feature.

Next-gen RAM will be twice as fast … whenever it arrives

PC gamers and video professionals alike (among many others) live and die on fast performance. For the speed demons out there, we have some good news. JEDEC, the organization that sets standards for the microelectronics industry, says it’s currently working on design specifications for the next-generation of DDR RAM.

DDR5 memory should have double the bandwidth and density of its predecessor, as well as improved channel efficiency, making it faster and more power-efficient. It will likely find its way into high-end gaming PCs and laptops first, allowing gamers to squeeze every last frame rate out of the most graphically-intensive titles. But a mobile version could also boost battery life and performance in portable devices as well.

JEDEC says it plans to publish the new standards sometime in 2018, which means DDR5 RAM won’t be available to consumers any time soon. Computer manufacturers will need time to build support for the new chips as well, and that could take years. In the meantime, Intel is working on its own memory option called Optane, which combines extremely low latency with the speed of a solid state drive to boost your desktop PC’s performance. ASUS, Dell, HP and Lenovo are already planning to release Optane-equipped systems sometime this year. If it takes off, DDR5 could be obsolete before it steps off the assembly line.

Via: Ars Technica

Source: JEDEC

‘Skylanders’ learns what Amiibo knew all along: Drop the portal

The paradigm for toys-to-life games is well-established: one part kid-friendly video game, one part expensive, collectible figurines — and a tethered NFC “portal” that ties them together. When Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure introduced this model in 2011, it sparked a new genre in gaming — bringing about the rise and fall of Disney Infinity, the nostalgic brand licensing of LEGO Dimensions and even inspired Nintendo to launch its own line of NFC gaming collectibles. In fact, with the exception of Nintendo, all of these brands followed Skylanders’ tethered-portal model. On the Nintendo Switch, however, the game that started it all is taking the Amiibo approach.

If you buy Skylanders Imaginators on the Nintendo Switch, it won’t come with the series’ iconic “Portal of Power” peripheral. Instead, the game piggybacks off the NFC technology Nintendo built into the console’s controllers. Rather than placing characters on a wired base to transmit figurine data into the game, players merely need to tap their Skylander toys against the thumbstick on the right-hand Joy-Con. That’s it. No more setting up a USB peripheral every time you want to play the game or making sure it’s in reach of the couch. Instead, you just tap and play. Easy.

Although this is a simple, straightforward change that seems like a long overdue evolution of the toys-to-life experience, it wasn’t really something that could be done until now. Not because the technology didn’t exist, but because it wasn’t available on most platforms. Neither the Xbox One or PlayStation 4 have built-in NFC readers, and only one of the Wii U’s controllers (the included GamePad) supported the feature. The Switch is the first console to standardize NFC communication in every controller configuration. Finding another way to scan in the Skylanders toys was also necessary to serve players who use the Switch in portable mode.

While it’s certainly easier to play Skylanders without the cumbersome portal accessory, its absence fundamentally changes the game into a more traditional experience. Changing characters in Skylanders typically meant placing a figure on the portal and leaving it there — but after you scan a character into the Nintendo Switch version of the game, you don’t even need the figure anymore. Scanning a toy more than once turns it into an “Instant Skylander” that can be summoned from the game’s menu at any time. This is perfect for players who want to take the game on the go without toting a bunch of toys, but it calls the entire concept of the series into question. If you can scan your figures once and play the game without them, does Skylanders even need a toy component?

Technically, the game could get away without the physical toys, although that’s not the point. For Skylanders (and other toys-to-life) fans, collecting is part of the fun, and the developer isn’t offering any toy-free options at this time. The portal-free approach doesn’t work for all toys-to-life games, either — LEGO Dimensions features several puzzles that require players to move toys to different portions of its connected figure base, a gameplay element that wouldn’t work with the Nintendo Switch’s single NFC touchpoint.

Still, for Skylanders Imaginators, the change feels like a massive improvement, and a lot like the Amiibo system it’s piggybacking off. By making the figures a little less necessary, Skylanders on Switch now comes close to mirroring Nintendo’s toy-optional approach to the genre. It’s a less tedious experience. It’s still probably not the future of the Skylanders franchise, though.There are far too many figures and portals left over from previous games to expect Activision to nix the conceit of the series on other platforms. But if you’re looking for a more minimalist toys-to-life experience, it can be had on the Nintendo Switch.

Android Wear 2.0 is hitting more watches today

Yesterday, Google said that an unspecified bug was delaying the Android Wear 2.0 rollout yet again. It looks like the delay hasn’t been too severe though. The company says that Wear 2.0 is now available for five more watches: the Polar M600, Nixon Mission, Fossil Q Wander, Fossil Q Marshal and Michael Kors Access. That’s in addition to the Fossil Q Founder, Casio Smart Outdoor Watch WSD-F10 and TAG Heuer Connected, which Google said were already receiving the update. All told, that’s almost half of the 19 older watches that’ll get the Wear 2.0 update.

It’s a shame the Android Wear 2.0 rollout has been so challenging — many, many other devices won’t ever receive the update. Those that are getting it have had to wait a long time, too, but it seems like it won’t be too long until the whole group gets the new software. It makes the platform a lot better, though smartwatches remain a niche. If you really want Wear 2.0, though, your best bet is probably checking out one of LG’s newest smartwatches.

Apple’s WWDC 2017 Ticket Lottery Ends, Winners Begin Receiving Confirmation Emails

The ticket lottery for Apple’s 2017 Worldwide Developers Conference ended this morning at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time, and it appears that developers who won tickets are now receiving confirmation emails.

Apple has said all developers who won the ticket lottery can expect to see their credit cards charged with the $1,599 ticket fee by Monday, April 3 at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time, but some developers are already being charged.

Apple has used a lottery system to dole out WWDC tickets in recent years because interest in the conference far exceeds capacity. Approximately 5,000 developers are expected to attend the event, along with more than 1,000 Apple engineers and executives.

The 2017 Worldwide Developers Conference will start on Monday, June 5 and will last through Friday, June 9. The conference dates were first announced in mid-February, as this year’s event will take place at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, California, instead of in San Francisco.

At the Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple will host a keynote event to introduce new software updates, and developers will be able to attend more than 100 technical sessions and hands-on labs.

Developers who are not selected to purchase a ticket will be able to watch both the keynote event and sessions with engineers through the Apple Developer website and through the WWDC app for iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV.

Related Roundup: WWDC 2017
Discuss this article in our forums

FiGO Gravity X55L review

Competition in the budget phone market has been really heating up over the last couple of years. With companies like BLU producing devices with quality hardware at affordable prices, There is little need for anyone to stretch themselves for that next flagship, anymore. The question remains, which budget phone is the best?

Enter FiGO, a mobile company I had never heard of, putting some serious pressure on the competition. According to its website, “Our goal is to provide a vast portfolio of advanced unlocked mobile phones at incredible pricing to thousands of dealer agents.” With this as the goal, it better bring some serious game to the table to compete with the other budget beaters. I am here to tell you that the Gravity X55L meets the goal set forth and sets itself high up on the “best budget phone” list. Let’s take a look.

“Our goal is to provide a vast portfolio of advanced unlocked mobile phones at incredible pricing to thousands of dealer agents.”

Getting Started

I must admit, I have never heard of FiGO before receiving this phone for review. It actually took me a minute of research on Google to find out that this wasn’t the first device it had released. I was shocked to see of the other budget devices produced by the company and was eager to jump into this review.

When I first received the device I actually had no idea how much it would sell for. Paying homage to that, we will make you wait to reveal the retail price. Upon opening the box, I was presented with the phone, front and center. As it lays in the box, all you can see is the screen, front facing camera, and speaker for phone calls; there are no physical buttons aside from the standard lock button and volume rocker. Continuing on with what’s in the box, we find the typical charger, cord, earbuds and manual but, we also find an additional, longer charging chord, and tempered glass screen protector (which I promptly installed because I am the WORST at scratching screens).

The Body

For a budget phone, the exterior of this device is absolutely amazing. The rear appears to be a solid piece of aluminum milled to cover both sides and house the camera, LED flash, fingerprint sensor, and buttons. On the back we find the 13MP rear camera, an LED flash just to the right of the camera, and the rear mounted fingerprint sensor sitting just below the camera.

The right side houses the power button and volume rocker. They protrude out just the right amount to let you feel for them in a pocket or purse, but not to much as to get snagged on anything. On the left side, the only thing we can see is the dual sim card slots (one of which can be used for SD memory expansion).

The bottom of the Gravity exposes a microUSB charging port as well as what looks like dual speakers (unfortunately, the one on the right is non-functional). Moving to the top, we see the 3.5mm audio jack for your headphones and an IR blaster. Seriously, just by looking around the outside of this phone I am getting at least one thing that I don’t have on my S7 (IR blaster in case you didn’t know).

Top: 3.5mm and IR blaster

Bottom: microUSB and Speaker

Finally, the front of the device is where we see the first clue that this is a budget device. Unlike many of the flagships or premier phones today, we see no beveled edges on the screen. The glass does not feel as smooth as a premium device, almost sticking to my finger as I try to slide it across the screen. Thankfully, the glass screen protector that was provided is a little more user-friendly. Along with the glass, the amount of visible bezel on Gravity X55L is larger than we are used to seeing on premium devices. There is clearly visible black space between where the screen ends and the aluminum frame begins. Initially, I found this relatively annoying, but the longer I use the phone, the less I care about empty black space.

The Internals

AndroidGuys has been a big proponent of budget phones. But what makes a great budget phone is not simply a low price but what we can get for said price. In the case of the FiGO Gravity X55L we are talking about a phone under $200. Some of the technical highlights are:

• 5.5″ IPS display (720p)
• 1.3 GHz octa core processor
• 3GB RAM + 32GB ROM
• 13MP rear camera / 5MP front camera
• 3000mAH battery
• IR Blaster
• FM Tuner
• Fingerprint sensor
• Android 6.0 (with a promise of an upgrade to Nougat post-release)

Now, some of these spec’s don’t really seem like much compared to many of the phones that are advertised regularly, however, if you compare apples to apples and realize that we are only paying 1/4 of the price of some flagships, things start to fall into perspective.

Impression

When I first fired up the Galaxy X55L, my initial thoughts were, “Wow, is this stock Android?”. Indeed, what I was experiencing was my first endeavor into stock android since I rooted my Galaxy S3. Now some of you may argue this point, but there is something refreshing about not having any third party apps thrown in your face and draining your battery.

One of the first things I do when setting up a new phone is get my work email set up (yes, I, unfortunately, have to go to work too). This requires that I set up a password (not a PIN but an actual password). Thankfully the X55L has me covered with the fingerprint sensor in the back. My experience with fingerprint sensors consists of the Galaxy S7 and the Huawei Mate 9 and in comparison, the FiGO device falls right in the middle. It has the convenience of the Mate 9’s location and style but lacks responsiveness like the Galaxy S7.

One place that budget phones tend to lose people is in the camera. I was actually impressed with the camera that FiGO went with here. We are looking at at 13MP camera in the rear and a 5MP camera in the front. That makes it a little better than the camera that what comes in my S7 (12MP). I know we are talking about a year later but wow. Don’t just take my word for it, check out the pictures that we took with the phone and let them speak to the quality.

Digging deeper into the phone we find the FM Tuner app. I know it is not a huge thing but sometimes I just want to listen to the Radio. Being able to plug in a set of earbuds and listen to my favorite FM stations right on my phone is just something that is a convenience to have, and is not an option on any premium devices I have used.

Look at those wide edges

Now, I have obviously covered some of my favorite things about this device but, I know what you are thinking, “For a phone under $200 there has to be some negatives, right?” Well, yes there are a few. The device is pretty large for only having a 5.5″ display. As I put it to one of the editors here when I turned the phone on “Holy Bezels Batman!”, referring to the extra black space I talked about earlier between the touch screen and the aluminum sides.

One of the problems you can’t see is that the screen is not as accurate to the touch as I would expect from a more expensive device. I have decided to relate this to the glass used, working under the theory that if your finger can’t slide well, detection is probably off also.

Conclusion

Before I begin my final thoughts, I think this is a great time to reveal to you that the retail price of this phone will be $159.99. No, that is not a typo, you can get all these features and a stock android experience for well under $200.

With that said, my final thought about this device is, wow. When I initially received the FiGO Gravity X55L I never thought I would have enjoyed using it this much. In fact, I am highly considering switching to using it as my daily driver instead of continuing with my Galaxy S7, at least for the time being. The Gravity is now available at Amazon. Pick one up if you are in need of that new budget phone.

German law urges parents to rat out kids’ illegal downloads

When it comes to piracy, institutions typically go after individual offenders and platforms, especially illicit ones. But Germany’s highest court just ruled that children aren’t just on the hook for illegally downloading music or movies — their parents are, too. And if they don’t rat out their kids, they’ll get stuck with the court-decided fine.

The precedent-setting decision by the Federal Court of Justice (BGH) charged the parents of three children with a €3,500 fine after someone in the home illegally downloaded Rihanna’s 2010 album “Loud.” The father stated that Germany’s Basic Law protects family members from testifying against each other and refused to out which child did the deed. The court didn’t force him to reveal the perpetrator, but held him liable in their stead.

If parents refuse to name the guilty party, the decision establishes, whoever gets the bill for internet service is ultimately responsible to pay the fine. But nobody will be forced to “deliver their children at knifepoint,” state prosecutor Christian Rohnke reportedly said.

Via: Deutsche Welle

Source: Stuttgarter Nachrichten

Eye-tracking glasses reveal what master pianists look at while they play

Why it matters to you

Eye-tracking technology can be a useful research and teaching tool, as this video comparing an expert and student piano player makes clear.

Ever wanted to experience what it is like to be a master pianist tickling the ivories? A new video gives a sense of what that might feel like, while also demonstrating a few fundamental differences between a true master and a very good student.

The video is an experiment using a pair of wearable eye-tracking glasses made by Tobii Pro, the global leader in eye-tracking research. Entitled “What Does a Pianist See?” it’s the first episode in a new online video series designed to show how the technology — that is able to show exactly where people are looking when they perform actions — can be used as a training (or learning) tool.

More: Tobii announces an array of new eye-tracking initiatives for 2017

“The big difference we found with the expert pianist is that they stay looking in the center,” Patrick Adelman, co-founder of the video maker Fractal Media, told Digital Trends. “They don’t need to look at where their fingers are moving all the time. On the other hand, the student’s eyes constantly go all over the keyboard to find where her fingers needed to go. The same is true when you look at how they read sheet music and whether or not they need to keep looking at the music, then down at the keyboard.”

Breaking that down in terms of figures, the expert pianist spent approximately 83 percent of the time looking at sheet music, compared to the “novice” who spent 58 percent of the time looking at the music. The expert also scanned ahead vertically and horizontally, meaning that they were able to mentally stay a few steps ahead.

Piano playing is not the only use-case made possible by Tobii Pro’s eye-tracking wearable, of course.

“This product is really the first time that it’s been possible to take eye-tracking technology out of the lab and into real contexts,” Mike Bartels, U.S. Research Director for Tobii Pro, told Digital Trends. “Because of that, we’re seeing a lot of interest in fields like sports research. You can’t tell much about how a basketball player shoots free throws if they’re sitting in a laboratory; you have to have them actually on the court. Other applications include media research, where traditionally you’d have to bring people to a research facility to study how they pay attention to adverts, for example. Now we can send this technology home with people, so they can wear it while they’re going about their daily lives. If you want to capture natural behavior, you have to allow people to be in natural contexts, rather than being tested in a lab.”

Whether eye-tracking glasses eventually become mainstream technology remains to be seen, but it’s certainly a fascinating demonstration of how tech can reveal valuable insights about a range of disciplines.

Now if you will excuse us, we have some piano practice to get back to!

The only guide you need to get started with Android Wear

Your new Android Wear smartwatch has been unboxed, charged, and strapped to your wrist. So, what next? Setting up and using Android Wear is a simple process, one that’s nearly identical across devices. We’ve put together a comprehensive user guide on how to get started with Android Wear, so that you don’t miss a single notification or alert. Android Wear is compatible with both Android and iOS smartphones, so we’ll be covering both in this guide. Watch at the ready? Let’s get started.

More: Will your watch get Android Wear 2.0? Read our guide to find out

Basic requirements and apps

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

If you own an Android smartphone, make sure it’s up to date — only Android 4.3 Jelly Bean and newer iterations are supported. For the iPhone, the baseline requirement is iOS 8.2 and above. And no matter which handset you’re sporting, you’ll have to keep Bluetooth enabled, as it’s how your watch communicates with your phone.

While almost any Android phone will work with your smartwatch, some older iPhones struggle. Initially, Google’s Android Wear app for iOS only supported the LG Watch Urbane, but subsequent updates have increased the number of supported watch models substantially. Newly compatible models include the TAG Heuer Carrera Connected,Fossil Q Founder, Moto 360 2nd Generation, and the Huawei Watch. Almost all new watches support iOS as well. Google’s support page contains an exhaustive list of devices that’ll work with an iPhone, Android phone, or both.

Pairing your watch and smartphone

You can find the Android Wear app in the Google Play Store, and the iOS app in the App Store. Once installed, turn on your Android Wear watch. You’re going to need the charger just in case your watch is low on battery, so make sure you’ve got it nearby. Select your language of choice when prompted, then look for a Bluetooth pairing code and ensure it matches the one displayed on your phone. In iOS, enter it manually. Additional prompts will then appear for Google Fit and location data, which you can then accept or decline. If there are any software updates available for your watch, they’ll be installed at this time.

Using Android Wear on Android phones

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Android Wear’s features and the supporting app differ depending on which OS you’re using. We’ll concentrate on Android here, but there are differences that we’ll address in a later section. When you start your watch for the first time or after performing a factory reset, it’ll give you a quick rundown on how to use it.

Thankfully, it’s pretty simple. Information appears on cards that you view by swiping up and down, and dismiss by swiping to the right. If you accidentally dismiss a card, quickly swiping up on the screen brings up an Undo button that returns it. Notifications with additional options and settings will feature a triple circle icon (when you click on it) that lets you act on them — like deleting or replying to an email.

Android Wear can be controlled via simple gestures, though you’ll need to turn this on by swiping down, tapping on Settings, and then going into Gestures. Toggle Wrist gestures, and you can then flick your wrist away or towards you to move through the OS. Most actions revolve around big, finger-friendly buttons that you usually can customize by going to Settings > Personalization > Customize hardware buttons. New watches may feature a rotating crown, which Android Wear 2.0 now supports. Rotate it to scroll through most screens.

Press the main button on your watch to bring up a list of all the apps installed. Swiping left or right from the watch face lets you swap to a different face, and you can customize them further by adding complications or changing color options. Swiping down on the watch face, on the other hand, pulls up Quick Access controls. From here, you can select Do Not Disturb mode, which limits the number of notifications you get, or Theater Mode, which silences all notifications and turns your watch face black. You can adjust your watch the screen brightness here as well (if it’s not set to automatic), toggle airplane mode and sound, and glance at the battery percentage, date, and connection status.

To quickly dim your watch’s display, cover the watch for a few seconds with your palm.

Once you’re familiar with the basics, you’ll probably want to take a look at the available watch faces. Press and hold the selected face to customize it, or you can swipe left or right from the watch face to see more options. You can tap the gear icon below some watch faces if you want to customize them before switching.

Alternative watch faces

Third-party faces are available from both the Android Wear app and Google Play. There are hundreds of options available in Google Play, which you can access via the Android Wear app on your smartphone or Android Wear 2.0’s built-in Play Store.

When a watch face is installed, there’s no need to take further action. A notification will let you know and a tap will set the new face. Complications, a new Android Wear 2.0 feature, are meant to mimic smaller subdials on a traditional watch. They offer information at a glance, such as the time of your next calendar event or how active you’ve been during the past week. You can change which one you’re viewing by tapping the dials when customizing the face — third-party apps can add their own complications, too.

Downloading apps

Malarie Gokey/Digital Trends

Installing apps in Android Wear isn’t all that different from installing faces. You can download them from Google Play on your smartphone or Android Wear 2.0’s built-in Play Store. The quickest way to find them is through the Android Wear Play Store — Google highlights featured and essential apps for your watch, and also categorizes them based on what the app does. For example, head over to the Health and Fitness section to find dieting apps.

A notification will show up when the app is finished installing. It’ll appear in the list of apps, directly under the main menu. To find it, tap the watch face, swipe left, and scroll down. Press and hold the app name here to pin it to the top of the apps list, so you don’t have to keep scrolling to find it.

Customizing apps

In Android, your watch can control the various functions of your phone. For a complete list of what your smartwatch can do, open the Android Wear app on your smartphone and find the Tips section near the bottom. Tap More Actions and you’ll see apps that can be controlled with your watch.

Google Play Music is a great example. When the app is running on your smartphone, you’ll be able to automatically access playback and volume controls on your watch. The same things goes for fitness apps, as well as ride-hailing apps like Uber. Taking the time to personalize your watch will make it more useful, so it’s time well spent.

Talking to the wrist

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Android Wear can be controlled using your voice, if you don’t mind shouting at your wrist in public. How well it works depends on what you’re asking, your accent, and the surrounding noise level. But if you’re up for giving it a try, it’s built directly into the operating system.

New to Android Wear 2.0 devices is Google Assistant, which can tell stories and trigger actions that allow you to find your heart rate, place calls, set reminders, send texts, and carry out a host of other actions. Tap the screen to wake it from ambient mode, and say “OK, Google.” You can then ask Assistant to perform an action, like send a text to a friend, call a friend if you have an LTE-connected watch, or tell you a joke.

Talking to your watch is also the easiest way of responding to notifications — tap on a notification, press the triple circle icon and tap Reply. You’ll see a mic option, and if you tap it you can say anything and it will be transcribed to text. If you’d rather let your fingers do the talking, there are options to scribble letters to make up words; scribble to send emojis, or even a virtual keyboard with swipe-to-text support.

Android Wear 2.0 also packs an alternative: Smart Replies. Using a combination of machine learning and AI, Android Wear will serve up a list of contextually-appropriate replies.

Adding music for offline listening

Most Android Wear watches have a small amount of internal storage, which you can use to store some music. This means that, with a pair of Bluetooth headphones attached, you’re free to leave your phone behind when out for a walk or jog. If you have an LTE-connected watch, you can stream music from select music streaming services.

You can manage your watch’s library from the Google Play Music Android Wear app. If it’s installed on your watch, open the app and head to My Library, and click on Albums. Press and hold an album you want to download, and it will begin downloading. It tends to take a while, but once finished, you’ll receive a notification.

Within Android Wear’s Settings menu, choose Bluetooth Devices, and pair the watch with your Bluetooth headphones. To play the tracks you’ve previously synced, launch the Play Music app, swipe down and then right for settings, and toggle Downloaded only.

Connecting to Wi-Fi

Malarie Gokey/Digital Trends

Most Android Wear watches have onboard Wi-Fi, which is useful for grabbing notifications if Bluetooth is out of range, or accessing the Play Store if you’re using Android Wear 2.0. An easy way to check if your watch has Wi-Fi is by navigating to the Settings menu. If there’s an option labeled Wi-Fi Settings, you’re golden.

More: LG Watch Sport (Android Wear 2.0) review

Tap Wi-Fi Settings and your watch will scan for local networks. Select the one you want and a prompt to enter the password will appear, along with a button to open the command on your phone. Tap this, pick up your phone, and enter your password. The watch will connect automatically when it’s within range and turned on.

Setting your watch as a trusted device

Android’s Trusted Devices feature negates the need to enter a PIN number or passcode every time you unlock your phone, provided it’s connected to your watch via Bluetooth. To enable said feature, navigate to Settings on your phone. Afterward, select Screen Lock and Passwords and look for the Smart Unlock option. Keep in mind that you’ll need to have set a PIN number to progress any further. Tap the option to add a Bluetooth device and you’ll see a list of paired devices. The app will be among them — tap it, agree to use it for smart unlocking, and you’re set.

Blocking notifications

Once the novelty of receiving notifications on your watch has worn off, you can block individual apps from buzzing on your wrist. Click the Settings cog in the Android Wear app, select Block App Notifications, and tap the plus-shaped icon. Afterward, add the troublesome app.

In iOS, you can block apps via the Android Wear companion app.

Checking battery life and storage

While traditional watches can last months on end with coin-sized batteries, most Android Wear watches can’t make it through a day. To get an idea of when your watch will need a charge, head to the Android Wear app. Hit the cog button in the upper-right corner and tap on the watch’s name. Here, you’ll see a list of installed apps, along with the percentage of battery they’ve drained over the course of a day.

This article was originally published on December 12, 2016. Updated on 03-31-17 by Kyle Wiggers to reflect changes in Android Wear 2.0.