This is probably that day that many smartwatch users and designers have been waiting for. After asking developers and designers to hold off from flooding the market with watch faces, Google has finally opened the floodgates for Android Wear watch faces. Today’s update not only brings official support to your smartwatch, it provides watch face makers the proper API to use to create their masterpiece. Watch faces even get their own corner in Google Play Store!
One of the benefits of a smartwatch, at least design-wise, is that you can change your timepiece’s face on a whim. When Android Wear went live, there was naturally a desire and a demand for custom watch faces to fit the mood, occasion, or style. However, Google appealed to developers to take a few deep breaths and wait for them to release a proper API for making watch faces, in order to prevent ugly hacks and workarounds that could break and sully the Android Wear experience.
That was way back in July, and today, Google is delivering as promised. And to kick off the launch of the Watch Face API, Google is providing over a dozen watch faces from various artists, themes, and brands. Go classy with Craig Ward or Un Petit Monde. Channel the inner child with Despicable Me’s Lovable Minions or decaying zombies from PvZ. Be a bit sporty with RedBull and Porsche. Or be eccentric with Hugh Turvey or Medicom. This is just the tip of the iceberg, of course, with more sure to come now that the API is available.
And installing watch faces will be a piece of cake, just like installing any other Android app. And just like any other Android app, you can download Android Wear watch faces from their own section on Google Play Store. Browsing, downloading, and changing watch faces will be a walk in the park with the new Android Wear companion app that will be rolling out this week with its own basket of treats. So best be on the lookout for all of these when they come rolling to your wrist and your smartphone.
