Tiles are one of the most accessible surfaces on Wear OS.
Tiles provide quick access to information and actions users need to get things done. With a swipe from the watch face, a user can see how they are progressing towards their fitness goals, check the weather, and more. Launch an app or get essential tasks done quickly from tiles.
Users can choose what tiles they want to see on their watch. Wear OS allows users to manage their tiles both on the watch and from the companion app.
UX principles
The following table describes Tile UX principles.
Immediate |
Predictable |
Relevant |
| Tiles are designed to help users quickly complete frequent tasks. Display critical content with a clear information hierarchy so content is easy to understand. | Content within each tile should always focus on a user task. This enables users to predict what information they will be able to see on the tile, and improves recall. | Users take their watches wherever they go. Consider how the content in the tile is relevant to the user’s context. |
Guidelines
Keep the following guidelines in mind when creating Tiles.
Focus on a single task
Do
Don't
Create separate tiles for each task
If your app supports multiple tasks, consider creating multiple tiles for each task your app supports. For example a fitness app could have both a goals tile and a workout activity tile.
Show glanceable representations of graphs and charts
Do
Don't
Indicate latest data updates
Ensure the user is aware of how recent data shown on their watch is. Show cached data with an indication of when it was last updated when relevant to the user.
Use an appropriate data refresh rate
Choose an appropriate update rate for your tiles, considering impact on device battery life. If you are using platform data sources such as heart rate and step count, Wear OS controls the update rate for you.
Empty states
Tiles have two types of empty states. For both we recommend that you use
PrimaryLayout.
Errors or permission
Tell the user that they need to update their settings or preferences from the tile.
Sign in
Provide a clear call to action on a sign-in tile.
Dialog examples
Use dialog states for errors, permissions, and settings.
Show ongoing activities
When an app performs a long-running activity—such as tracking a workout or playing music—it should show the progress of the ongoing activity in one of more tiles.
If your app also supports tiles that allow users to start these activities, do the following to minimize user confusion:
- Indicate that an ongoing activity is already in progress.
- If the user taps on such a tile, launch your app and show the in-progress activity. Don't start a new instance of an ongoing activity.
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Requirements Primary data
Label
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Motion on Tiles
When you add animations to tiles, keep the following principles in mind:
Help users understand changes
Do
Don't
Previews
Add a tile preview to help your user see what content is shown in the tile manager on their watch and phone. Each tile can have one representative preview image. That image should meet the following requirements.
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Requirements
|
 |
 |
| A tile preview displayed in tile manager on a watch. | A tile preview displayed in tile manager on a phone. |
Do
Don't
Example layouts
The following show some common use cases for tiles, utilizing our best practices for design. For more information, see Tiles.
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Goal tracking |
Start workout |
Start workout |
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Start workout |
Workout summary |
Start timer |
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Current heart rate |
Heart rate |
Next alarm |
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Meditate |
Meditate |
News |
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Weather |
Next event |
Social |
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Play media |