Customization is a major appeal of Wear OS smartwatches like Google’s Pixel Watch line up. However, Google is soon to implement a significant change that will affect the watch face designs and features users can access on their Wear OS devices.
Google has been encouraging watch face developers to adopt the Watch Face Format (WFF) since Wear OS 4. This format offers benefits like improved battery life and reduced maintenance requirements for developers. Now, as reported by 9to5Google, Google is taking a firmer stance. Google has informed developers that in upcoming Wear OS updates, watch faces not built using WFF will see their functionality significantly reduced.
If you’re a Pixel Watch or Wear OS user who depends on watch faces with robust complications, those faces will need to be created using the WFF format to retain full functionality. Complications are the small widgets on a watch face providing information like weather, heart rate, sunrise/sunset, and more. Users of watch faces built with the older standards may find themselves limited to the most basic data like battery level, notifications, time, and date.
Google cites battery optimization and a desire to streamline the watch face experience as the main reasons for the change. WFF-designed watch faces can be rendered by the watch’s co-processor, significantly reducing the workload on the main processor and improving battery life. Additionally, Google likely aims to create a more consistent user experience by standardizing the technology used to create watch faces.
As pointed out by Mishaal Rahman, some developers express concerns that WFF may restrict customization options. Certain unique features and animations found in legacy watch faces don’t translate well to this new format.
It remains to be seen whether future iterations of Watch Face Format will address these limitations and enable richer designs. However, for the time being, users passionate about feature-rich complications should be aware of this impending change when selecting watch faces for their Pixel Watch or other Wear OS devices.
Dwayne Cubbins
1076 Posts
My fascination with Android phones began the moment I got my hands on one. Since then, I've been on a journey to decode the ever-evolving tech landscape, fueled by a passion for both the "how" and the "why." Since 2018, I've been crafting content that empowers users and demystifies the tech world. From in-depth how-to guides that unlock your phone's potential to breaking news based on original research, I strive to make tech accessible and engaging.
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