Wear OS watch faces are about to get a whole lot more fun and customizable
Unlike traditional watches, there are considerably less design options when it comes to smartwatches. Instead, the primary focus on a smartwatch would be its software features, and when it comes to customization, that’s where watch faces come in.
Now, if you feel that the current version of Wear OS is a bit limited in terms of customizable watch faces, then you’ll be pleased to learn that during I/O, Google has announced the launch of a new feature called the Watch Face Format which was developed together with Samsung.
This is an XML format which basically allows users more customization options when it comes to designing their own watch face, or for developers to come up with new and fun watch faces for users to download. Google notes that for developers, there is no executable code involved which means that the watch face APK that developers create will not have any code embedded in it.
This new feature will also result in less maintenance and fewer updates required, so users can use these watch faces with their Wear OS devices for longer periods of time without having to worry about compatibility or being out of date.
Samsung will also be launching what they are calling the Watch Face Studio. This is basically a visual editor that lets developers create their own watch face even if they do not have any coding experience, which should open up the door for more developers and creatives.