One UI 8 Watch update introduced a major UI redesign for Wear OS-based Galaxy Watches.
Google now appears to be adopting a similar approach by replacing Tiles, which originally served as a form of widgets on Wear OS devices, with standard widgets.
Among the new features introduced in the update are Wear Widgets, which are designed to be more expressive while bringing improved visual consistency to Wear OS.
These widgets are available in two sizes, small (2×1) and large (2×2), similar to the widgets introduced in One UI Watch 8.
However, Google ultimately plans to transition fully to Wear Widgets in the future.
One UI 8 Watch update introduced a major UI redesign for Wear OS-based Galaxy Watches. One of the biggest changes was a new way to create custom Tiles using multiple widgets. Google now appears to be adopting a similar approach by replacing Tiles, which originally served as a form of widgets on Wear OS devices, with standard widgets.
Google announced Wear OS 7 during its recent developer conference. Among the new features introduced in the update are Wear Widgets, which are designed to be more expressive while bringing improved visual consistency to Wear OS.
These widgets are available in two sizes, small (2×1) and large (2×2), similar to the widgets introduced in One UI Watch 8. Google describes them as “the next step in the evolution of Tiles.”
Google Wear Widgets design on Wear OS 7 – Source: Google
This allows developers to create a single widget design that works across cars running Android Auto and Android Automotive, smartphones, smartwatches, and tablets. This approach should make widget development less time consuming and more consistent across devices.
Google says it will continue supporting Tiles for the time being. It is even introducing a feature called Dynamic Service Switching, which can automatically switch between different layouts of the same Tile depending on the situation. However, Google ultimately plans to transition fully to Wear Widgets in the future.
