Wear OS is a wearable platform, helping people live more present, healthy, and productive lives. Wear OS makes smartwatches into glanceable, standalone devices, so users can stay connected online and complete tasks quickly, while leaving mobile devices in their pockets.
Keep the following design principles in mind when developing for Wear OS.
Design for critical tasks
Focus on one or two tasks rather than a full app experience.
Optimize for the wrist
Help people complete tasks on the watch within seconds to avoid ergonomic discomfort or arm fatigue.
Glanceable surfaces
Apps on Wear OS are displayed across multiple surfaces designed around how people interact with the watch, the primary surfaces being complications and tiles.
Always relevant
The watch is always with the user. Consider how to update your app content for people's context, such as their time, place, and activity.
Works offline
Design for slow connections and offline use cases, such as exercising and commuting.
