[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yO5W_nGPv8M?feature=oembed&w=100&h=100]
Wear OS is continuing to change and evolve to meet the demands of an extremely competitive market, and Google is set to show off its newest improvements at Google I/O 2019. Called “Tiles on Wear OS,” the new system allows you to quickly swipe on your watch face to see the information that matters to you.
The update is similar to previous updates, like the notification update from IFA 2018, which made it easier to access your notifications by allowing simple swipes to open up your notifications, access Google Fit, or access other useful features. Tiles on Wear OS builds on that foundation but adds some very much-desired customisability to Wear OS.
Making sure you’re able to access the information you need and being able to access it quickly is the crux around which this update revolves. Tiles on Wear OS is accessed by swiping left on your watch face, and is currently comprised of six individual Tiles: Goals, Next Event, Forecast (Weather), Heart Rate, Headlines, and Timer. Most of the Tiles (like Heart Rate, Timer, and so on) are self-explanatory, but a few are slightly more obtuse. The Goals Tile shows your fitness goals and how far along you are toward achieving them, while Next Event looks into your calendar to pull up your schedule.
But if you’re not particularly interested in the latest headlines, or you don’t have any real fitness goals (we’re with you there), then you can arrange the Tiles to suit your needs. To rearrange the Tiles, touch and hold any Tile on your Wear OS smartwatch to move it along the list. Alternatively, you move it from your smartphone’s Wear OS app by touching and dragging the Tile you want to move.
At the moment there’s no mention as to whether Google will allow you to remove specific Tiles, but it has been confirmed more Tiles will be added over time. With that in mind, it seems highly likely we’ll see the ability to remove Tiles added later.
The Tiles update will be rolling out to eligible watches over the next month, and features will vary by region, country, and specific watch operating systems. If you absolutely can’t wait to get more of this particular update, Google will be showing the new system off at Google I/O 2019, which begins on May 7 and runs until May 9.
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