Oh the perils of being an early adopter. LG may have been one of the very first manufacturers to market with an Android Wear smartwatch, but was the launch deadline of Google’s I/O event a little sooner than the manufacturer would have liked? Some users of the G Watch are reporting issues with corrosion of the metal contacts on the charging pins, particular after exercise.
It appears that sweat from some Android smartwatch wearers is forming an oxide coating on the pins because of the salt it contains. LG is leaping to the rescue, however, with an over-the-air update that cuts power from the charging pins when they aren’t in use. This should prevent the chemical reaction from occurring and stop any additional corrosion.
If you’re the owner of an LG G Watch look for the software build number KMV78Y (which replaces the equally catchy KMV78V). The update should also solve the problems some users have been having with skin irritation.
“Recently it has come to our attention that a small number of G Watch devices have been reported to have developed discoloration and residue buildup on the terminal pins located on the back,” said a member of the LG support team, as reported by Android Police. “While completely safe and unlikely to affect charging, LG will be rolling out a maintenance release over the next few days that will disable the current when the G Watch is not in the charging dock.”
Launching a pioneering device in a new product category isn’t easy, as many other manufacturers besides LG have discovered in the past. Let’s hope it’s plain sailing for G Watch owners from this point on.