During Mobile World Congress 2021 today, Samsung gave a first look at its new Wear OS for smartwatches in partnership with Google. As it does with its smartphones, Samsung will add the One UI interface on its yet-to-be-announced watches.
Of all the features introduced today, the only one I think Apple should adopt is the customizable Watch Face feature, and here’s why.
Apple has never had much competition in the smartwatch industry. By the time Apple introduced the Apple Watch, no other manufacturer was able to make a watch as good as Apple’s. On its sixth generation, the Apple Watch is better than ever.
Of course, if you want a band instead of a smartwatch, Xiaomi and Samsung, for example, can offer you really cheap options that can do some of the features Apple gives its users with the Apple Watch. But if you want a serious smartwatch for your Android phone, Samsung had the only reliable options with the Galaxy Watch brand and Tizen operating system.
Now, Samsung and Google are partnering with a new Wear OS that Samsung finally gave us a sneak peek today — and 9to5Google covered it.
Although it’s a first look, some things look off-place. Samsung will add a grid app view as Apple does with the Apple Watch. But because Samsung is betting on rounded watches, some applications and interface elements look terrible. For example, here’s the messages application:
‘Watch face design tool’
Apart from that, the best thing coming to Google and Samsung Wear operating system is the ability for developers create their own Watch Faces. As for now, on watchOS, developers can only create complications for watchOS faces, but not give an exclusive look with a brand new Watch Face.
Here’s what Samsung has to say:
Since a watch helps to reflect the user’s personality, having the ability to add dozens of different watch faces can differentiate your accessory from others, and this is something that Samsung seems to recognize. It also seems like Samsung will curate the watch faces to help keep things accessible for users.
“Samsung will bring an improved watch face design tool, making it easier than ever for designers to create new watch faces. Later this year, Android developers will be able to unleash their creativity and release fun, new designs that will be added to Samsung’s ever-growing collection of watch faces to give consumers even more options for customizing their smartwatches to suit their mood, activity and personality.”
As watchOS 8 is already out for developers, Apple will take at least another year till we can see anything new related to customizable watch faces, unless the company is holding a few more secrets for the upcoming Apple Watch Series 7.
Would you like if developers had the ability to create their own Watch Faces for Apple Watch? Tell us in the comment section below.
