Pokemon Go: Android Wear version of Apple Watch companion app teased in update code

Data mine of 'Buddy system' update shows multiple references to Android's wearable OS platform.

Video game-related announcements were hardly expected at Apple's iPhone 7 launch event on 7 September. Amazingly, that was what we got, with Super Mario's long-awaited official debut on iOS devices and a Pokémon Go app for the Apple Watch.

Now, PokémonGoHub has gleamed several mentions of Android Wear when data-mining the recent 0.37.0 update, suggesting that Android users may also be able to hunt Pokémon from their wrists.

While not a fully-fledged wearable version of the hit mobile game, the companion app currently only confirmed for Apple's wearable allows users to hatch eggs, receive notifications of nearby Pokémon and nab items from PokéStops, all without fumbling around for their iPhone.

Although Niantic Inc and The Pokémon Company have yet to reveal the existence of a companion app for Android's watchOS rival, code de-compiled by PokémonGoHub mentions a "pokemongoplus project" that references Pokémon Go implementation on Android Wear.

The project's name is shared with the app's bespoke Pokémon Go Plus peripheral, which is set to launch in September. The code suggests that both the Apple Watch and mooted Android Wear version of the companion app will share functionality traits with the Go Plus, although the former pair will show more information on your wrist due to the Go Plus's lack of a screen.

In addition, the data notes that the connection between the main mobile app and the Android Wear companion is made via Bluetooth and that all communication will be encrypted to Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) specification.

As some Android Wear devices support iOS connections, it is also noted that iPhone users with a compatible Android wearable will also be able to use the extra functionality. You can read the full list of data-mined information here.

As well as several bug fixes and Go Plus support, Pokémon Go's 0.37.0 update for Android (and 1.7.0 for iOS) brings with it a "Buddy" system where players can pick a favourite from their roster of Pokemon and earn candy for it while on the move.

In the last week, developer Niantic Inc and The Pokémon Company announced that the hugely popular mobile game has been downloaded over 500 million times since it first launched on iOS and Android devices in July.