Skip to main content

Google brings custom Android Wear watch faces to the Play Store

The new Android Wear update includes a whole new section to the Play Store dedicated to watch faces for Google's smartwatch platform

If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

The Android dress code, says Google, is to simply wear what you want.

In the spirit of promoting endless customization and personalization, Google is today rolling out a big update to Android Wear that sees dozens of new watch faces added to the original set plus a whole new section to the Play Store dedicated to hosting watch faces. Designs from the likes of Rebecca Minkoff and Hugh Turvey mingle with ones featuring Pac-Man and Plants vs. Zombies. An official Watch Face API is also being released to allow others to develop their own Android Wear faces, and Google anticipates an explosion in the variety of available looks and styles you can apply to your watch.

"With Wear, as with all of Android, we want you to be yourself."

Beyond the aesthetic enhancements, the Android Wear companion smartphone app is also getting updated, with Google promising it "makes browsing, downloading, and switching watch faces really easy." The app will also keep track of the battery and storage usage of Android Wear apps, allowing you to diagnose a particularly greedy bit of software that may be sabotaging everything.

On the watch itself, navigation tweaks include an undo option if you accidentally dismiss a card and a re-ordering of available actions when you tap on the watch face, with the most recently used ones appearing at the top of the list. Swiping down from the top of the watch now brings up a set of quick settings and there's a new option to block notifications from a particular app directly from the watch. Finally, a Theater Mode keeps the screen off and mutes notifications when in a dark room, while a Sunlight Mode does the opposite by maximizing brightness outdoors.

The new watch faces and the accompanying software update are rolling out now.

New Android Wear watch faces

1/14