ThePixel Watchranked among ourfavorite Wear OS smartwatches, but it couldn’t avoid the fact that its design language was already outdated by the time it launched. Because it currently runs on Wear OS 3.5, which is based on Android 11, the watch couldn’t take advantage of Android 12’sMaterial Youtheming. That could all change soon as Google is looking to bring Material You to Wear OS 4.
Googleannounced Wear OS 4at this year’s Google I/O, and it’ll be based onAndroid 13. According toXDA, however, this update will bring more than just under-the-hood upgrades as Material You will finally make its way to Wear OS 4. This design refresh curiously wasn’t brought up during the event yesterday, but perhaps it’s because Material You is already entrenched in the Android aesthetic.
Material You theming on Wear OS 4 (Source:XDA)
Despite the inclusion of Material You themes, it’s unclear how customizable they will be. XDA wasn’t able to tweak the available colors in its testing, suggesting that Google isn’t done working on bringing Material You to Wear OS 4. It’s likely that the final product will work similarly to how it does on phones by generating a complimentary color, but it remains to be seen whether the color will match your phone’s wallpaper or your watch face.
Sometimes, a new theme isn’t enough. To improve the quality of its watch faces,Google and Samsung are teaming upto create an XML format that will go a long way towards helping people design faces in an easier way.
The software upgrade is due out later this year, and it may coincide with some new hardware. Rumors suggest that Google could unveil thePixel Watch 2 alongside the Pixel 8 seriesin the fall, just in time for Wear OS 4.
