Starting in 2019, swiping left across Wear OS watch faces would show “blocks” for weather, news headlines and more. Only original Google applications were able to provide this visual information. This is finally changing with Google, now allowing third-party developers to create custom Wear OS blocks.
Google today announced that the Jetpack Tiles library is in alpha. Developers can start creating custom blocks now with today’s announcement explaining how end users will have access to them this spring after a “corresponding Wear OS platform update”, which should be on the H MR2 line (ie, a version H MR3).
The blocks can be designed for many use cases, such as tracking the progress of the user’s daily activity, starting a workout quickly, starting a recently played song, or sending a message to a favorite contact. While applications can be immersive, blocks load quickly and focus on the user’s immediate needs. If the user wants more information, he can tap Tiles to open a related app on his watch or phone for a deeper experience.
Developer documentation on how to create them in Android Studio is now available, while Google offers best practices, including:
- The blocks are designed to provide visual information that users can read in a matter of seconds. Display only the most important content with a clear hierarchy of information.
- To protect the user’s battery, avoid elements that require frequent rendering.
- Save highly interactive experiences for your activities. However, you can link these activities from your Block.
- Avoid text like “x minutes ago” or “in x minutes” for past or future events, as this requires frequent updates. Instead, display the actual start or end time, or use a statement like “in the past”.
- Avoid long-term asynchronous work when providing the layout and / or features of a block. Your Tile code should be executed quickly.
- Consider allowing the user to touch the tiles to learn more and act on an overlay, where rich interactivity is supported and the user can scroll to get more information.
- If you have a large application that supports a user with multiple tasks, consider creating a bucket for each task. For example, a fitness app can have a Goal Block and a Training Activity Block.
The latest original Tiles introduced a revamped mood and allowed users to quickly start a rest session.
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