PSA: Android Wear Watch Face developers need to use new APIs by January 31st, or else
Tucked away inside Google’s blog post for developers detailing the rollout of Android 5.0 and the Android Wear Watch Face APIs (API level 21) was a notice that those who aren’t planning to jump on board with the “new way” will eventually be kicked off the wagon. Google is asking all developers to update their watch face apps to use the new APIs by January 31st, because it’s on that date Google will officially cease supporting watch faces which don’t use the new APIs.
This shouldn’t be too much of a problem for any developer considering the company is now rolling out the Watch Face API to anyone and everyone needing to use it. And why wouldn’t you? It introduces awesome new animation libraries and features that make your watch face behave like it’s meant to be there instead of an app that’s shoehorned its way onto your wrist like an ugly sore. (Not that any of these watch faces are ugly — far from it — but you get the idea.)
Google also mentioned that your apps will only get featured in the new Watch Face category on Google Play if you are using the new APIs. You can ensure your apps are included for consideration by uploading them to Google Play using the new Android Wear apps classification, and making sure to adhere to the distribution guidelines set forth by Google.
More details about developing for watch faces for Android Wear using the latest APIs can all be had by visiting Google’s blog post on the matter, so be sure to jump over there and soak up all the knowledge you need so you can continue to deliver awesome watch faces!