Posted by Chiara Chiappini – Developer Relations Engineer
This yr, 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 encompasses a main refresh with visible and movement parts designed to provide customers an expertise with extra personalization. The brand new design affords an ideal stage of expression to satisfy person demand for experiences which are trendy, related, and distinct. Materials 3 Expressive is coming to Put on OS, Android, and all of your favourite Google apps on these units later this yr.
The excellent news is that you just don’t must 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 a variety of developer-facing adjustments, comparable 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 absolutely optimized for the spherical show. We advocate builders embrace the brand new design system of their apps and tiles. That will help you undertake Materials 3 Expressive in your app, we have now begun releasing new design steerage for Put on OS, together with corresponding Figma design kits.
As a developer, you will get entry the Materials 3 Expressive on Put on OS utilizing new Jetpack libraries:
These two libraries present implementations for the parts 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 convey each depth and selection to your designs. Moreover, your tiles now align with the system font by default (on Put on OS 6+ units), 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 parts
Tiles now assist a brand new framework and a set of parts that embrace the watch’s round kind issue. These parts 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 essential content material slot, and a backside slot, designed to work throughout a spread of various display sizes:
Spotlight person actions and key data with parts optimized for spherical display
The brand new Put on OS Materials 3 parts robotically adapt to bigger display sizes, constructing on the Giant Show assist added as a part of Put on OS 5. Moreover, parts comparable to Buttons and Lists assist form morphing on apps.
The next sections spotlight a number of the most fun adjustments to those parts.
Embrace the spherical display with the Edge Hugging Button
We launched a brand new EdgeButton for apps and tiles with an iconic design sample that maximizes the house throughout the round kind issue, hugs the sting of the display, and is available in 4 commonplace sizes.
Fluid navigation by means of lists utilizing new indicators
The brand new TransformingLazyColumn from the Basis library makes expressive movement simple with movement that fluidly traces the perimeters of the show. Builders can customise the collapsing conduct of the checklist when scrolling to the highest, backside and either side of the display. For instance, parts like Playing cards can scale down as they’re nearer to the highest of the display.
Materials 3 Expressive additionally features a ScrollIndicator that encompasses a new visible and movement design to make it simpler for customers to visualise their progress by means of an inventory. The ScrollIndicator is displayed by default once 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 study extra in regards to the new options and see the total checklist 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 find out how to improve your current apps, or attempt one in all our codelabs if you wish to begin creating 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, comparable to animated state transitions from ambient to interactive and photograph watch faces.
- A brand new API for constructing watch face marketplaces.
Be taught extra about what’s new in Watch Face updates.
Search for extra details about the final availability of Put on OS 6 later this yr.
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 under reveals find out how to 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 = "Good day, World!".layoutString, typography = BODY_LARGE, ) } ) }
For extra data, 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 units working Put on OS 5.1. It introduces passkeys to Put on OS with a platform-standard authentication UI that’s per the expertise on cell.
The Credential Supervisor Jetpack library offers builders with a unified API that simplifies and centralizes their authentication implementation. Builders with an current implementation on one other kind issue can use the identical CredentialManager code, and many of the identical supporting code to satisfy their Put on OS authentication workflow.
Credential Supervisor offers integration factors for passkeys, passwords, and Register 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 power to authenticate with out their telephone close by.
Take a look at the Authentication on Put on OS steerage to study 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’ll fast-forward and rewind whereas listening to podcasts.
- They’ll entry the playlist and controls comparable to shuffle, like, and repeat by means of a brand new menu.
Builders with an current implementation of motion buttons and playlist can profit from this function with out extra effort. Take a look at how customers will get extra controls out of your media app on a Google Pixel Watch machine.
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 ideal place to study extra find out how to get began:
Earlier this yr, we expanded our smartwatch choices with Galaxy Look ahead to Children, a singular, phone-free expertise designed particularly for youngsters. This launch offers households a brand new option 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 teenagers.
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.