Kseniia Shumelchyk, Android Developer Relations Engineer, and Garan Jenkin, Android Developer Relations Engineer
Put on OS has seen unbelievable development and developments over the previous 12 months. With watch launches from Pixel, Samsung and extra, Put on OS grew its person base by 40% in 2023 and has customers in over 160 international locations and areas. And Put on OS has expanded to extra manufacturers together with OnePlus, OPPO and Xiaomi. This development has been accompanied by heavy investments in efficiency and energy optimization.
On this weblog put up, we’ll be highlighting among the key updates we introduced at Google I/O this 12 months, so let’s dive in and discover the newest developments in Put on OS and how one can benefit from the platform.
Put on OS 5 Developer Preview
We’re excited to be releasing the Developer Preview of Wear OS 5, the subsequent model of Google’s smartwatch platform arriving later this 12 months, based mostly on Android 14. Central to our launch of Put on OS 5 is constant to boost battery life.
Put on OS 5 brings efficiency enhancements over Put on OS 4. Monitoring your exercise is now extra environment friendly; for instance, working a marathon consumes as much as 20% much less energy on Put on OS 5 than on Put on OS 4.
That will help you develop power-efficient apps on Put on OS, we’ve launched a new guide to conserve power and battery. Make sure to have a look!
Put on OS 5 is predicated on Android 14, which brings with it quite a few developer-facing modifications. Try what’s changed and check out the brand new Wear OS 5 emulator to check your app for compatibility with the brand new platform model.
Modifications in Watch Faces growth
Final 12 months we launched the Watch Face Format as a part of Put on OS 4, and we’ve had a incredible response, with 30% of watch faces in Google Play already utilizing the format. It’s been nice to see what you’ve all been capable of create thus far utilizing the Watch Face Format!
We’re excited to deliver you the subsequent iteration of the Watch Face Format with Put on OS 5.
Moreover, we’re asserting some modifications to present watch face growth utilizing Jetpack Watch Face APIs. Ranging from Put on OS 5, we’re introducing restrictions to issues for watch faces constructed with AndroidX or the Wearable Support Library that may apply to some information sources, in addition to Google Play publishing limitations to new watch faces constructed with these libraries.
Try the Watch Faces blog post for full particulars on the brand new options in Watch Face Format and modifications to observe faces growth choices.
Tooling and library updates
Jetpack Compose for Put on OS
Adoption of Compose on Put on OS has grown 200% previously 12 months, highlighting the benefit with which Compose permits builders to construct for the watch kind issue. Not too long ago we’ve seen high apps similar to WhatsApp, Gmail and Google Calendar constructed fully utilizing Compose for Put on OS, and it’s the really useful method for constructing person interfaces for Put on OS apps.
With the 1.3 release of Jetpack Compose for Put on OS, we’ve graduated quite a few visible enhancements and fixes from beta to steady.
Up to now 12 months, we’ve added options similar to SwipeToReveal, to offer customers further means for finishing actions, an expandable item, to boost the usage of the smaller display screen and present further data the place wanted, and a variety of WearPreview supporting annotations, for guaranteeing your app works optimally throughout the vary of machine sizes and font scales.
And at Google I/O 2024, we introduced a variety of new updates with Jetpack Compose that provide help to construct throughout kind components, together with Put on OS, learn extra in this blog and take a look at how SoundCloud supported more screens using 45% less code with Jetpack Compose.
Tiles and ProtoLayout
Wear OS tiles give customers quick, predictable entry to the data and actions they depend on most. Version 1.4 of the Jetpack Tiles library, at present in alpha, introduces preview support for Android Studio that can assist you rapidly iterate in your Tile growth whereas additionally serving to you create optimal-looking tiles on a variety of show sizes.
Previews may be seen beginning in Android Studio Koala Feature Drop (Canary), with the next dependencies:
- androidx.put on.tiles:tiles-tooling-preview:1.4.0-alpha02+
- androidx.put on.tiles:tiles-tooling:1.4.0-alpha02+
- androidx.put on:wear-tooling-preview:1.0.0+
@Preview(machine = WearDevices.SMALL_ROUND)
enjoyable smallPreview(context: Context) = TilePreviewData(
onTileRequest = { request ->
TilePreviewHelper.singleTimelineEntryTileBuilder(
buildMyTileLayout()
).construct()
}
)
We’ve additionally launched higher means on your app to find out whether or not your tiles are in use, via the getActiveTilesAsync() methodology.
Inside ProtoLayout’s steady version 1.1, as utilized by Tiles, we’ve launched quite a few modifications, similar to the next:
And from 1.2.0-alpha02, we’ve made it simpler on your layouts to regulate appropriately for various show sizes by including the setResponsiveContentInsetEnabled() methodology to PrimaryLayout, in addition to updating it for EdgeContentLayout. To make use of this setter, replace your code as follows:
PrimaryLayout.Builder(deviceParameters)
.setResponsiveContentInsetEnabled(true)
.setContent(
// ...
)
.construct()
Simpler testing for health apps
Android Studio Koala Feature Drop (Canary) brings a brand new sensor panel to make it simpler to check use of Health Services in your Put on OS app. The panel lets you configure capabilities of the machine, set values of particular information varieties and stimulate occasions similar to auto-pause and resume of workout routines.
Try this blog to be taught extra about tooling updates.
Bigger Shows
With the momentum surrounding Put on OS, we’re seeing a greater variety of spherical display screen sizes and resolutions, which gives extra selections for the person.
We’re releasing new guidelines on the right way to construct responsive UIs for various watch show sizes, in addition to updates to present libraries to introduce adaptive layouts, and parts.
Try the ComposeStarter sample for Put on OS on Github to see the right way to make the most of these updates in your app. Moreover, we’ve up to date the pattern to offer examples of utilizing instruments to judge your layouts, together with :
- Previews – demonstrating use of WearPreviewDevices to visualise your layouts on a full vary of machine sizes and font scaling settings.
- Screenshot testing – serving to you detect points and regressions in your layouts on completely different sized units, with completely different font scales and locales, consultant of real-world units.
Begin constructing for Put on OS now
There has by no means been a greater time to start out constructing for Put on OS! Make sure you take a look at Building for the future of Wear OS technical session to be taught extra about all the newest updates for Put on OS!
To get began:
We’re wanting ahead to seeing the experiences that you simply construct on Put on OS!
