Google lets developers build widgets for Wear OS with Tiles api

Google is releasing an API that allows developers to create Tiles for the wearable operating system Wear OS. Until now, such widgets for smartwatches were only available to a limited extent, but now third-party developers can also use them.

Google has made an initial commit on the Android Open Source Project. As a result, developers can get started with an API for Wear Tiles in the future. These are widgets for smartwatches that allow users to see a lot of information at once. Google released that feature for Wear OS smartwatches in May last year, but to a limited extent. The widgets only worked with functions that Google itself selected, such as a weather forecast, a timer and a heart rate monitor.

The API also makes it possible for external developers to design their own Tiles widgets for their apps. The initial commit adds the api to the AndroidX library. It still needs to be merged. Developers can then address the api, although the commit does state that they must then be accepted. It is not known when that will happen further.