This year, we’re excited to introduce Wear OS 6: the most power-efficient and expressive version of Wear OS yet.
Wear OS 6 introduces a new design system called Material 3 Expressive. It brings a major visual and motion refresh designed to offer users a more personalized and modern experience. This system is coming to Wear OS, Android, and many Google apps later this year.
Good news for users: thanks to platform optimizations, watches updating from Wear OS 5 to 6 may see up to 10% improvement in battery life.1
Wear OS 6 Developer Preview
The Developer Preview of Wear OS 6 is now available. It’s based on Android 16 and introduces changes for developers, such as refining the always-on display experience. Explore what's new and try the new emulator to test your app for compatibility.
Material 3 Expressive on Wear OS
Optimized for round screens, Material 3 Expressive is recommended for apps and tiles. Developers can access new design guidance and Figma kits.
Use new Jetpack libraries to integrate Material 3 Expressive:
- Wear Compose Material 3 – for app UI components
- Wear ProtoLayout Material 3 – for tile layouts
Make It Personal with Richer Color Themes
Dynamic color theme updates colors of apps and Tiles
With extended color schemes, typography, and dynamic theming tied to watch face colors, these libraries enhance visual depth and cohesion across apps and tiles.
Make It Glanceable with New Tile Components
New tile components support circular screens and improve glanceability with a 3-slot layout: title, main content, and bottom content.
Examples of Tiles using the 3-slot layout
Highlight Key Info with Components Optimized for Round Screens
New Wear OS components automatically scale for larger screens and support shape morphing for buttons and lists.
Edge Hugging Button
The new EdgeButton maximizes circular screen usage with a signature edge-hugging style available in 4 sizes.
Screenshot of EdgeButton in a scrollable screen
Fluid List Navigation
The new TransformingLazyColumn introduces expressive motion that hugs the screen’s curve and allows custom collapsing behaviors. Cards can now scale as they near screen edges for smoother transitions.