Google adds interactive watch faces to latest Android Wear update

Android Wear recently received a new update that brings interactive watch faces to smartwatches. Not that such feature hasn’t been available through various apps but it’s now native on Android Wear. This means you only need to set a new animated watch face on the settings to have a moving image on the background you can even interact with.

The Android Team showed off this watch face that includes a calendar that when touched, will show the agenda or things to do for the day. This software updates starts rolling out today and should be available for all Android Wear devices in the next few weeks or so.

For developers, the interactive watch face API has just been released. Interactive watch faces can then be enabled by using the script below:

setWatchFaceStyle(new WatchFaceStyle.Builder(mService)
.setAcceptsTapEvents(true)
// other style customizations
.build());

The idea for the interactive watch faces is not just to add animation but to provide an at-a-glance experience. It’s an easier way to be connected and be reminded of important information like messages, step count, or the next item on your calendar. It’s more than just changing the design of your digital display, it’s bringing interaction or information that is helpful to the user.

You can see your next meeting, unread messages, weather, or news with the Bits Watch Face collection. You can also see information like distance, step count, or calories burned. Hopefully, seeing those things will keep you motivated to get moving and stay fit with Under Armour Watch Faces.

Another relevant watch face feature is Together which allows two people to get in touch with each other. Two paired watches can shared a number of things like activities, emojis, and photos.

This particular Android Wear update will also add Wi-Fi support to the old LG G Watch R (finally!). You see, the “no wifi” issue on the G Watch R has been a problem for owners of the said smartwatch model. LG even issued an official statement last May. There was indeed WiFi element but the watch wasn’t designed with network connectivity in mind. But then a few tweaks here and there enabled the WiFi on the watch which is a very welcome news to the LG G Watch R owners.

SOURCE: Google (1),(2)