Wear update overview

Author/ Simon Earnshaw, Group Product Manager

We just announced a major update to the Wear platform, bringing new features, APIs, and tools to help developers create beautiful, high-quality wearable experiences. This article aims to explain how we can help you build great apps for Wear more easily, and how you should start using pre-release versions of these APIs and tools to prepare for the new platform. See the Wear update summary video for more details.

priority: tools

The first thing you have to do is download and install Android Arctic Fox Studio Beta , which includes a new system image Wear Developer Preview, as well as improved tools to help you develop in the absence of equipment and situation Test the Wear application.

containing the new Wear system (preview) image -With the new Wear developer preview system image, you can now experience the latest platform updates.

Wear app to pair with your phone -We have simplified the pairing process. Now you can pair the Wear emulator with your phone through Android Studio. So you can develop, test, and iterate directly in the IDE. The new pairing assistant will guide you step by step directly in Android Studio to complete the pairing of the Wear emulator and the physical or virtual phone. You can use it through the device dropdown> Wear OS emulator paring assistant (Device Dropdown> Wear OS emulator paring assistant) this function. Please note that currently only supports pairing with Wear OS 2 Companion, a new version of Wear Companion support will be launched soon. Please read official document for details.

virtual heart rate sensor -The simulator now comes with a virtual heart rate sensor and supports the use of the heart rate sensor API to help you create and test various sports monitoring applications. Please download the Android emulator v30.4.5 through the Android Studio SDK Manager. This is the minimum version that supports this feature.

We also released a watch dial design tool created by Samsung. Developers can use this new tool to easily create watch dials for all devices running the Wear system. This tool will be released soon.

New developer documentation and design guidance

With the new version of Wear, we have developer website , providing new API documentation, learning resources, codelabs and examples. Since Wear will soon use a new user experience based on Material Design, we have updated the design guide to cover the new design system, UI components, UX paradigm and style. Please go to design document for details.

New Jetpack API

From the new Jetpack API customized for small screens (round or square) to the Jetpack Tiles API designed to optimize battery life, we are adding new features to help you build a good Wear experience, reduce template code, and ensure The code runs consistently on various Wear versions and devices.

Tiles (Tiles) -Tiles allow users to quickly access the information they need most, as well as provide operational interactions that meet expectations. We have now opened up the tile function to developers and have worked with several early partners to add tiles to their applications. Here are some upcoming apps:

The Tiles API is currently an alpha version and supports Wear OS 2 and above devices, so you can create tiles for all devices in the Wear ecosystem. will appear in consumers' watches after the platform version is updated. Please read 160b853cbbf39f this blog for details.

Task Switching and Current Activity -The new version of Wear allows users to easily switch between applications. With very little code, you can use the new Ongoing Activities API to allow users to easily return to your app after navigating away (starting other tasks, such as music playback): just tap the activity indicator icon at the bottom of the watch face, Double-click the side button or use the "Recents" function of the global application launcher to return. Ongoing Activities API is currently in alpha version, please read official document for details.

Health Service -We also released a health and fitness platform jointly created with Samsung, which provides health and fitness data from sensors, environmental perception algorithms and 24/7 health monitoring. These APIs will provide you with an easier development experience and help you create high-quality, powerful health and fitness applications for wearable devices. The platform will help you manage the hardware and sensors, and stop the hardware in time to prevent the battery from running out, so that you can get rid of the quagmire of personally managing the hardware. The alpha version of this health service platform has been released, please read official document for details.

Other new APIs -We have released several other new APIs in Jetpack to make it easier to develop wearable applications, including support for curved text, input, watch dials, complex functions, and remote interaction. Please read official document for details.

Google Play store changes

We know that user stickiness and discovery are very important to the development of application business. The upcoming major update of Google Play will make it easier for users to find excellent applications on the watch, including easier to find watch applications through search, view application recommendations through the Wear category, and install applications directly from the phone to the watch.

Learn more

The next generation of Wear makes us very excited, please go to developer website learn more about developing applications for smart watches. We look forward to your wonderful works!

Your product feedback and questions are very important to us, welcome to submit feedback to us through the QR code below. Your question may appear in the next FAQ and be answered. thank you for your support!