Posted by Chiara Chiappini – Developer Relations Engineer
This 12 months, we’re excited to introduce Put on OS 6: probably the most power-efficient and expressive model of Put on OS but.
Put on OS 6 introduces the brand new design system we name Materials 3 Expressive. It contains a main refresh with visible and movement elements designed to offer customers an expertise with extra personalization. The brand new design provides an awesome degree of expression to fulfill person demand for experiences which are fashionable, related, and distinct. Materials 3 Expressive is coming to Put on OS, Android, and all of your favourite Google apps on these gadgets later this 12 months.
The excellent news is that you just don’t have to compromise battery for magnificence: because of Put on OS platform optimizations, watches updating from Put on OS 5 to Put on OS 6 can see as much as 10% enchancment in battery life.1
Put on OS 6 developer preview
At present we’re releasing the Developer Preview of Put on OS 6, the following model of Google’s smartwatch platform, primarily based on Android 16.
Put on OS 6 brings various developer-facing modifications, similar to refining the always-on show expertise. Take a look at what’s modified and attempt the brand new Put on OS 6 emulator to check your app for compatibility with the brand new platform model.
Materials 3 Expressive on Put on OS
Materials 3 Expressive for the watch is totally optimized for the spherical show. We advocate builders embrace the brand new design system of their apps and tiles. That can assist you undertake Materials 3 Expressive in your app, we now have begun releasing new design steerage for Put on OS, together with corresponding Figma design kits.
As a developer, you may get entry the Materials 3 Expressive on Put on OS utilizing new Jetpack libraries:
These two libraries present implementations for the elements catalog that adheres to the Materials 3 Expressive design language.
Make it private with richer shade schemes utilizing themes
The Put on Compose Materials 3 and Put on Protolayout Materials 3 libraries present up to date and prolonged shade schemes, typography, and shapes to deliver each depth and selection to your designs. Moreover, your tiles now align with the system font by default (on Put on OS 6+ gadgets), providing a extra cohesive expertise on the watch.
Each libraries introduce dynamic shade theming, which robotically generates a shade theme in your app or tile to match the colours of the watch face of Pixel watches.
Make it extra glanceable with new tile elements
Tiles now assist a brand new framework and a set of elements that embrace the watch’s round kind issue. These elements make tiles extra constant and glanceable, so customers can extra simply take swift motion on the data included in them.
We’ve launched a 3-slot tile structure to enhance visible consistency within the Tiles carousel. This structure features a title slot, a major content material slot, and a backside slot, designed to work throughout a spread of various display screen sizes:
Spotlight person actions and key info with elements optimized for spherical display screen
The brand new Put on OS Materials 3 elements robotically adapt to bigger display screen sizes, constructing on the Massive Show assist added as a part of Put on OS 5. Moreover, elements similar to Buttons and Lists assist form morphing on apps.
The next sections spotlight among the most enjoyable modifications to those elements.
Embrace the spherical display screen with the Edge Hugging Button
We launched a brand new EdgeButton for apps and tiles with an iconic design sample that maximizes the house inside the round kind issue, hugs the sting of the display screen, and is available in 4 normal sizes.
Fluid navigation by lists utilizing new indicators
The brand new TransformingLazyColumn from the Basis library makes expressive movement straightforward with movement that fluidly traces the sides of the show. Builders can customise the collapsing habits of the record when scrolling to the highest, backside and either side of the display screen. For instance, elements like Playing cards can scale down as they’re nearer to the highest of the display screen.
Materials 3 Expressive additionally features a ScrollIndicator that contains a new visible and movement design to make it simpler for customers to visualise their progress by an inventory. The ScrollIndicator is displayed by default whenever you use a TransformingLazyColumn and ScreenScaffold.
Lastly, now you can use segments with the brand new ProgressIndicator, which is now obtainable as a full-screen part for apps and as a small-size part for each apps and tiles.
To be taught extra in regards to the new options and see the total record of updates, see the discharge notes of the newest beta launch of the Put on Compose and Put on Protolayout libraries. Take a look at the migration steerage for apps and tiles on how one can improve your present apps, or attempt one in every of our codelabs if you wish to begin growing utilizing Materials 3 Expressive design.
Watch Faces
With Put on OS 6 we’re launching updates for watch face builders:
- New choices for customizing the looks of your watch face utilizing model 4 of Watch Face Format, similar to animated state transitions from ambient to interactive and picture watch faces.
- A brand new API for constructing watch face marketplaces.
Study extra about what’s new in Watch Face updates.
Search for extra details about the final availability of Put on OS 6 later this 12 months.
Library updates
ProtoLayout
Since our final main launch, we have improved capabilities and the developer expertise of the Tiles and ProtoLayout libraries to deal with suggestions we obtained from builders. A few of these enhancements embrace:
The instance beneath reveals how one can show a structure with a textual content on a Tile utilizing new enhancements:
// returns a LayoutElement to be used in onTileRequest() materialScope(context, requestParams.deviceConfiguration) { primaryLayout( mainSlot = { textual content( textual content = "Hey, World!".layoutString, typography = BODY_LARGE, ) } ) }
For extra info, see the migration directions.
Credential Supervisor for Put on OS
The CredentialManager API is now obtainable on Put on OS, beginning with Google Pixel Watch gadgets working Put on OS 5.1. It introduces passkeys to Put on OS with a platform-standard authentication UI that’s in keeping with the expertise on cellular.
The Credential Supervisor Jetpack library supplies builders with a unified API that simplifies and centralizes their authentication implementation. Builders with an present implementation on one other kind issue can use the identical CredentialManager code, and many of the similar supporting code to meet their Put on OS authentication workflow.
Credential Supervisor supplies integration factors for passkeys, passwords, and Sign up With Google, whereas additionally permitting you to maintain your different authentication options as backups.
Customers will profit from a constant, platform-standard authentication UI; the introduction of passkeys and different passwordless authentication strategies, and the flexibility to authenticate with out their cellphone close by.
Take a look at the Authentication on Put on OS steerage to be taught extra.
Richer Put on Media Controls
Units that run Put on OS 5.1 or later assist enhanced media controls. Customers who take heed to media content material on telephones and watches can now profit from the next new media management options on their watch:
- They will fast-forward and rewind whereas listening to podcasts.
- They will entry the playlist and controls similar to shuffle, like, and repeat by a brand new menu.
Builders with an present implementation of motion buttons and playlist can profit from this characteristic with out further effort. Take a look at how customers will get extra controls out of your media app on a Google Pixel Watch gadget.
Begin constructing for Put on OS 6 now
With these updates, there’s by no means been a greater time to develop an app on Put on OS. These technical sources are an awesome place to be taught extra how one can get began:
Earlier this 12 months, we expanded our smartwatch choices with Galaxy Look ahead to Children, a novel, phone-free expertise designed particularly for youngsters. This launch provides households a brand new solution to keep related, permitting kids to discover Put on OS independently with a devoted smartwatch. Seek the advice of our developer steerage to create a Put on OS app for youths.
We’re wanting ahead to seeing the experiences that you just construct on Put on OS!
Discover this announcement and all Google I/O 2025 updates on io.google beginning Might 22.
1 Precise battery efficiency varies.
