Debugging on Wear OS uses the same standard tools and processes as [debugging on
other Android-powered form factors](https://developer.android.com/studio/debug).

This page contains instructions and links to help you debug your Wear OS apps.

## Debug targets

You can debug your Wear OS app using either the [Android Emulator](https://developer.android.com/studio/run/emulator) or a
physical device.

### Android emulator

The [Android Emulator](https://developer.android.com/studio/run/emulator) lets you test your app on various virtual watch
configurations directly from Android Studio.

1. **Set up an emulator:** If you haven't already, follow the steps to [configure an emulator](https://developer.android.com/training/wearables/get-started/creating#configure-emulator).
2. **Select the emulator:** In the Android Studio toolbar, choose the Wear OS virtual device you want to run your app on from the target device drop-down menu.
3. **Run your app:** Click **Run** ![Run
   icon](https://developer.android.com/static/studio/images/buttons/toolbar-run.png). Android Studio installs the app on the emulator and starts it.

For more details on emulator features specific to Wear OS, see [The Wear OS
Emulator](https://developer.android.com/training/wearables/get-started/emulator).

### Physical watch

Debugging on a physical watch helps evaluate the real-world user experience and
test hardware-specific features like sensors.

> [!NOTE]
> **Note:** Debugging over Bluetooth is no longer supported as of Wear OS 3.

#### Connect over Wi-Fi

Wear OS supports wireless debugging, which lets you debug your app over a
Wi-Fi network. To use wireless debugging, enable developer options and wireless
debugging on the watch, pair your development computer using a pairing code, and
then connect to the watch.

For detailed, step-by-step instructions, see [Debug Wear OS over Wi-Fi](https://developer.android.com/training/wearables/get-started/debug-wifi).

#### Connect over USB

On supported watches that have a USB connection, such as a charging cradle
that supports data transfer, you can connect using a physical USB cable.

To connect over USB, follow the detailed instructions in [Run apps on a hardware
device](https://developer.android.com/studio/run/device).

## Additional debugging and setup

While most debugging tools work the same as on other Android devices, some
aspects are specific to Wear OS.

### Install a specific OS version

If your testing requires a specific version of Wear OS, you can flash a software
image directly onto watches that support a USB data connection. For example, you
can flash a [factory image](https://developers.google.com/android/images-watch) or a [full OTA image](https://developers.google.com/android/ota-watch) onto a Google Pixel
Watch.

### Test watch--phone connections

If your app's functionality spans both a watch and a phone, and you are testing
on an emulated watch, you can use
[Android Studio's Wear OS pairing assistant](https://developer.android.com/training/wearables/get-started/connect-phone) to pair your test device with a
physical or virtual phone.

### Capture screenshots and videos

Capturing screenshots and videos using the Android Studio interface works the
same for Wear OS as it does for [other devices](https://developer.android.com/training/wearables/get-started/screenshots). However, if you use `adb`
from the command line, the process can differ, as you may need to specify
particular codecs. For more information, see [Capture Wear OS screenshots](https://developer.android.com/training/wearables/get-started/screenshots).