Android Builders Weblog: What’s new in Put on OS

Kseniia Shumelchyk, Android Developer Relations Engineer, and Garan Jenkin, Android Developer Relations Engineer

Put on OS has seen unimaginable development and developments over the previous 12 months. With watch launches from Pixel, Samsung and extra, Put on OS grew its consumer 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 a few of 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 profit from the platform.

Put on OS 5 Developer Preview

We’re excited to be releasing the Developer Preview of Put on 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 reinforce 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 can assist you develop power-efficient apps on Put on OS, we’ve launched a new information to preserve energy and battery. Make sure to have a look!

Put on OS 5 is predicated on Android 14, which brings with it quite a lot of developer-facing modifications. Take a look at what’s modified and check out the brand new Put on OS 5 emulator to check your app for compatibility with the brand new platform model.

Modifications in Watch Faces improvement

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 in a position to create up to now utilizing the Watch Face Format!

We’re excited to carry you the subsequent iteration of the Watch Face Format with Put on OS 5.

Moreover, we’re asserting some modifications to current watch face improvement utilizing Jetpack Watch Face APIs. Ranging from Put on OS 5, we’re introducing restrictions to problems for watch faces constructed with AndroidX or the Wearable Help Library that may apply to some information sources, in addition to Google Play publishing limitations to new watch faces constructed with these libraries.

Take a look at the Watch Faces weblog put up for full particulars on the brand new options in Watch Face Format and modifications to look at faces improvement choices.

Tooling and library updates

Jetpack Compose for Put on OS

Adoption of Compose on Put on OS has grown 200% prior to now 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 equivalent to WhatsApp, Gmail and Google Calendar constructed completely utilizing Compose for Put on OS, and it’s the advisable means for constructing consumer interfaces for Put on OS apps.

With the 1.3 launch of Jetpack Compose for Put on OS, we’ve graduated quite a lot of visible enhancements and fixes from beta to steady.

Up to now 12 months, we’ve added options equivalent to SwipeToReveal, to present customers extra means for finishing actions, an expandable merchandise, to reinforce using the smaller display and present extra data the place wanted, and a spread of WearPreview supporting annotations, for guaranteeing your app works optimally throughout the vary of system sizes and font scales.

And at Google I/O 2024, we introduced numerous new updates with Jetpack Compose that allow you to construct throughout kind components, together with Put on OS, learn extra in this weblog and take a look at how SoundCloud supported extra screens utilizing 45% much less code with Jetpack Compose.

Tiles and ProtoLayout

Put on OS tiles give customers quick, predictable entry to the data and actions they depend on most. Model 1.4 of the Jetpack Tiles library, at present in alpha, introduces preview assist for Android Studio that can assist you shortly iterate in your Tile improvement whereas additionally serving to you create optimal-looking tiles on a spread of show sizes.

Previews could be seen beginning in Android Studio Koala Characteristic 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(system = WearDevices.SMALL_ROUND)
enjoyable smallPreview(context: Context) = TilePreviewData(
    onTileRequest = { request ->
        TilePreviewHelper.singleTimelineEntryTileBuilder(
            buildMyTileLayout()
        ).construct()
    }
)

We’ve additionally launched higher means to your app to find out whether or not your tiles are in use, by the getActiveTilesAsync() technique.

Inside ProtoLayout’s steady model 1.1, as utilized by Tiles, we’ve launched quite a lot of modifications, equivalent to the next:

• Gradient assist in ArcLine.
• Date-time formatting helps totally different time zones for dynamic information varieties.
• Higher textual content autosizing and ellipsizing choices, and constant font padding habits.
• Expandable spacers
• Improved accessibility for Clickable components

And from 1.2.0-alpha02, we’ve made it simpler to your layouts to regulate appropriately for various show sizes by including the setResponsiveContentInsetEnabled() technique 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 Characteristic Drop (Canary) brings a brand new sensor panel to make it simpler to check use of Well being Companies in your Put on OS app. The panel permits you to configure capabilities of the system, set values of particular information varieties and stimulate occasions equivalent to auto-pause and resume of workouts.

Take a look at this weblog to be taught extra about tooling updates.

Bigger Shows

With the momentum surrounding Put on OS, we’re seeing a greater diversity of spherical display sizes and resolutions, which gives extra selections for the consumer.

We’re releasing new tips on the right way to construct responsive UIs for various watch show sizes, in addition to updates to current libraries to introduce adaptive layouts, and elements.

Take a look at the ComposeStarter pattern for Put on OS on Github to see the right way to reap the benefits of these updates in your app. Moreover, we’ve up to date the pattern to supply examples of utilizing instruments to guage your layouts, together with :

• Previews – demonstrating use of WearPreviewDevices to visualise your layouts on a full vary of system sizes and font scaling settings.
• Screenshot testing – serving to you detect points and regressions in your layouts on totally different sized gadgets, with totally different font scales and locales, consultant of real-world gadgets.

Begin constructing for Put on OS now

There has by no means been a greater time to begin constructing for Put on OS! Remember to try Constructing for the way forward for Put on 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!