Wear OS 7 introduces several features to help enhance your Wear OS app
experience. Before you add these features to your app, [prepare your app](https://developer.android.com/training/wearables/versions/7/changes) for
compatibility with Wear OS 7.

## Wear Widgets

Starting with Wear OS 7, legacy full-screen Tiles are evolving into dynamic Wear
Widgets. Widgets are a new glanceable surface for Wear OS, designed to
complement apps and watch faces by providing greater structural consistency with
the broader Android ecosystem.

Powered by [Jetpack Glance](https://developer.android.com/jetpack/androidx/releases/glance-wear) and the new [RemoteCompose](https://developer.android.com/jetpack/androidx/releases/compose-remote) framework, Wear
Widgets offer greater expressiveness than legacy
[protolayout](https://developer.android.com/jetpack/androidx/releases/wear-protolayout) libraries, featuring
a declarative DSL that aligns directly with Modern Android Development.

Wear Widgets support two precise card layouts---small and large---that align
directly with mobile 2x1 and 2x2 formats. This flexibility lets you deploy
cohesive cross-device layouts while keeping content optimized for the wrist.
Developers can adapt existing UI logic from the `mainSlot` of a legacy
full-screen Tile into a 2x2 Widget.

For more information on building widgets, see the [Wear Widgets guide](https://developer.android.com/training/wearables/widgets).

## Live Updates

Wear OS 7 introduces highly glanceable [Live Updates](https://developer.android.com/design/ui/mobile/guides/home-screen/live-updates) to the wrist, letting
developers surface critical, real-time progress directly to users. Whether
tracking an active workout, monitoring a rideshare, or displaying step-by-step
navigation, Live Updates provide persistent visibility without requiring users
to open the full application.

Designed with seamless ecosystem integration in mind, Live Updates on Wear OS
share broad API alignment with mobile platforms. Developers leverage many of the
same standard notification styles---such as [`ProgressStyle`](https://developer.android.com/reference/android/app/Notification.ProgressStyle) and built-in
chronometers---minimizing the need for platform-specific code implementations.

Key capabilities and developer advantages in Wear OS 7 include:

- **Ecosystem API Alignment**: Construct notifications using familiar Android APIs. If your mobile application already implements Live Updates, you can leverage many of the same APIs on Wear OS.
- **Modern Alternative to Ongoing Activities** : For local update publishing on Wear OS 7 and higher, Live Updates serve as the recommended upgrade path over the legacy [Ongoing Activities API](https://developer.android.com/training/wearables/notifications/ongoing-activity), offering deeper system integration and enhanced lifecycle management.
- **Automatic OEM Bridging**: To reduce Wear OS development overhead, Live Updates generated by a paired mobile app can automatically bridge to the watch on supporting OEM devices.
- **Glanceable Status Chips** : Live Updates deeply integrate with the Wear OS system UI by surfacing dynamic Status Chips. Utilizing APIs like [`setShortCriticalText`](https://developer.android.com/reference/android/app/Notification.Builder#setShortCriticalText(java.lang.String)) and [`setUsesChronometer`](https://developer.android.com/reference/android/app/Notification.Builder#setUsesChronometer(boolean)), your app can render precise ETA countdowns, timers, or critical status icons directly within the notification tray and supported watch faces.

For comprehensive implementation details, battery optimization strategies, and
design guidelines, consult the [Live Updates on Wear OS developer guide](https://developer.android.com/training/wearables/notifications/live-updates).