Essential Information
- Wear OS 6 will enable support for third-party watch face stores such as Facer, which were restricted in Wear OS 5.
- Facer collaborated closely with Google to facilitate “instant syncing” of watch faces with Pixel Watches.
- All third-party watch faces must still utilize the WFF standards, meaning many legacy animated and 3D watch faces remain incompatible.
- The rollout of Wear OS 6 is anticipated to begin in late summer or early autumn of 2025.
Google’s initiative to promote battery-efficient watch faces previously restricted apps like Facer from Android smartwatches. Wear OS 6 aims to remedy this by introducing a Watch Face Push API, allowing third-party apps to propose watch face slots alongside Google’s native designs.
In a post from the Android Developers team, the Wear OS group shared details on how developers can create their own marketplaces for XML Watch Face Format (WFF) faces. Until now, developers managed individual listings in the Play Store, resulting in a challenging search experience for users.
Google has partnered with Facer, TIMEFLIK, WatchMaker, Pujie, and Recreative, marking the first app stores for watch faces compatible with Wear OS 6 this fall.
(Image credit: Google / Facer / Recreative / TIMEFLIK)
With Facer, users will have access to thousands of watch faces; selecting one from the mobile app will automatically sync it to the upcoming Pixel Watch 4 display.
Wear OS 6 will introduce more dynamic options for WFF faces, starting with user-uploaded photos. Developers will have the capability to alter colors based on specific values, such as brightening colors for elevated temperatures or UV levels. Text will automatically adjust its size to occupy the available space, allowing for a broader range of values (e.g., larger step counts) in one area. Additionally, watch faces will be able to transition from always-on to active mode smoothly.
Nonetheless, WFF retains some limitations compared to its older counterparts. It reduces Facer’s extensive library of over 500,000 watch faces to merely a few thousand, necessitating many transitions to be made manually.
I had the opportunity to discuss the Facer-Google alliance with Brook Eaton, Facer’s new CPO and former Fossil executive, to learn more about the future of this watch face system.
Google’s Support for Facer’s Needs
(Image credit: Michael Hicks / Android Central)
Despite Wear OS 5’s restrictions on Facer which limited its outreach to Android users, Eaton expressed that he “understood Google’s rationale” for transitioning to WFF.
Animated watch faces, he noted, “were not the intended display method,” resembling an always-on app that continuously fetched data from the system and sensors. This led to excessive battery drainage, which resulted in user complaints directed towards hardware manufacturers like Fossil.
The current iteration of WFF leverages cached sensor data to present information without draining the battery swiftly, meeting users’ needs in a “more streamlined and platform-focused manner.”
(Image credit: Michael Hicks / Android Central)
Facer reported ongoing discussions with Google regarding a solution even at the launch of Wear OS 5, though the “change unfortunately occurred before a resolution was achievable.” The discussions transitioned to focusing on Wear OS 6 for potential improvements.
Eaton remarked that Google “desires their ecosystem to thrive,” which involves “acknowledging partners’ challenges.” They are willing to collaborate with adequately sized engineering teams engaged on their platforms to address problems, ensuring mutual benefit rather than favoring any single app or partner.
The collaboration led Facer and perhaps other watch face applications to persuade Google of the advantages of introducing the Watch Face Push API, reinstating the availability of third-party watch faces. They are still in discussions to enhance WFF’s dynamism.
Facer’s Functionality in Wear OS 6 and Beyond
On existing Wear OS 5 devices, Facer’s functionality is limited to directing users to WFF faces in the Play Store. However, it avoided the “complication” of managing thousands of individual faces, only offering a select few popular options presently.
Facer is eager for the Wear OS 6 launch, enabling access to thousands of its highly sought-after faces for free, as individual purchases, or via a Facer Premium subscription.
Facer had to determine which older faces could be efficiently converted to WFF and which popular ones would necessitate more comprehensive adjustments, sacrificing some features while transitioning to a more battery-efficient model.
Eaton mentioned they are still submitting “feature requests” to Google, notably for the inclusion of 3D faces. However, Google is keen to understand the necessity behind such requests before proceeding, which might delay any additions—if they occur at all. Users hoping to see all their beloved Facer designs converted should manage their expectations.
Currently, Eaton indicated that the Facer Creator tool will prioritize assisting developers in crafting WFF faces for readiness by the Wear OS 6 launch. They’ve guaranteed that new features and brands will be introduced on Facer prior to the Wear OS 6 release.
Facer learned about additional Wear OS 6 features simultaneously with the rest of the community. During a preview of Wear OS 6 at I/O, a Google engineer mentioned that only select watch faces might support dynamic theming, which could exclude Facer and other third-party alternatives. However, Eaton remains optimistic that Facer will eventually integrate with this exciting feature.
Wear OS 6 is on its way!
The Pixel Watch 3 stands as one of our top picks for Android smartwatches, and it will be among the first to feature Wear OS 6 when it releases this year, featuring vibrant new themes, Tiles, and watch faces, including those from Facer.