Google launched Sliding Tiles for Wear OS in 2019 as a way to offer information, such as a user’s weather or fitness information, in a quick-access interface. Tiles users can add to their smartwatches are quite limited, however, and they are all primary offerings from Google or the manufacturer of their devices. That should change in the near future, because the tech giant has announced that the Jetpack Tiles library, which third-party developers can use to create custom Wear OS Tiles, is in alpha.
The fate of Google’s Wear OS has been at stake for some time. It hasn’t had a new version in years, and some believe that the acquisition of Fitbit by the technology giant could mean the death of the platform. Regardless, Wear OS still exists and Google has been releasing minor updates to it. In November, for example, he added three new Tile options for those who want a shortcut to recent workouts, weather information and guided breathing sessions. The company says it will also release an update this semester that will give users access to any third-party Tiles that are developed for the operating system.