Google has formally rebranded Android Wear to Wear OS. It was earlier this year when we learned about the change. More OEMs are updating their wearable OS and we believe more devices will run on the renamed Android Wear in the coming months. Samsung was even rumored to run such but the South Korean tech giant still went for Tizen OS which is now on version 4.0. So far, the devices we know already use Wear OS include those from Michael Kors, Emporio Armani, Marc Jacobs, the TicWatch Pro, and the Snapdragon Wear 2500.
The Android developers have just announced another way to enhance the quality of Wear apps and how they are presented in the Play Store. Usually, wearable apps are reviewed as part of a process. It was added to Android Wear 2.0 but now, it’s considered as optional.
If a mobile app fails the Wear app review, don’t worry because app updates won’t be blocked. The goal is to make things easier for developers to work on an improve their Wear apps and provide quality experiences for the consumers.
From now on, the Wear OS by Google version of an app will be listed from the following dates: 1 October 2018 for new Wear apps and 4 March 2019 for existing Wear apps.
The Wear OS by Google team checks support for different screen types and Wear OS by Google app screenshot. A Wear OS by Google emulator will allow a developer to check how a wearable app appears on different screen types whether it’s round, square, or round with chin (flat tire).
A Wear OS app screenshot is also needed to pass a review. You only need to show at least one. Google won’t show a screenshot if a Wear OS app isn’t ready or announced yet.
If you’re not fully ready yet with an app, you may opt out of app review by taking advantage of the internal testing features via the Google Play console or manually deploying Wear APKs to the users.
SOURCE: Android Developers Blog
