Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Mobile

Google Wear update picks up remote app installation and a redesigned Play Store

Michael Allison
By

Google rolled out a new update to Wear OS watches today, making it easier to install apps remotely and refreshing the Play Store with an Android 12-style Material You redesign.

Writing in a brief blog post, the company shared that users could now search for Wear-supported apps on the Play Store on mobile. All they needed to do was to add “Watch” or “Watch Face” to a search term when using the Play Store, and Google would serve up apps that support the wearable operating system. This means that you would be able to search up “music apps Watch Face” to surface a list of music apps that support Wear once this update rolls out. A new “Wear OS” and “Watch Faces for Wear OS” page in the Play Store will allow window shoppers a chance to browse for apps that they may not have heard of before. You can then install apps to any compatible watches remotely. Google says that it’ll be pre-selecting devices that support this to make it easier for Wear OS users.

Recommended Videos

Google will also be refreshing the Play Store on Wear with a new look based on Material You. This design is said to surface important information in cards, making it comfortable to read relevant information about apps. Both updates will be rolling out to the Google Play Store within the next couple of weeks, as well as to Wear OS devices on version 2.x and above.

Related

Despite being a good quality of life improvement, this update isn’t doesn’t top the list of all the things Google’s planned for Wear OS. Google has been working on beefing up Wear in the past couple of months. At I/O in May, the company announced a refresh for the operating system in collaboration with Samsung. As part of that collaboration, Samsung is expected to launch the Galaxy Watch and Watch 4 Classic on August 11. These will be the first Wear-powered watches from Samsung, and they look to be the most powerful ones so far. New apps from YouTube Music and Fitbit are also coming. Wear OS may have a rocky present, but it’s slowly getting better.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Michael Allison
Michael Allison
Mobile News Writer
A UK-based tech journalist for Digital Trends, helping keep track and make sense of the fast-paced world of tech with a…
App subscription fatigue is quickly ruining my smartphone
App Store displayed on an iPhone 14 Pro against a pink background

When I first got an iPhone in 2008, I remember checking out web apps, which were basically websites that I would keep bookmarked on the home screen. Every time I opened them up, they somehow didn’t look like I just launched mobile Safari. Eventually, Apple launched the App Store in July 2008, mostly eliminating the need for antiquated web apps.

Since the App Store opened up, we've gotten to see innovative new apps and games that took our iPhones to a completely new level — showing us what our devices were capable of. I was excited to see and hear about new apps for a variety of things, from task managers to camera replacement apps to photo editors to journals and so much more. Games were also making use of the iPhone’s accelerometer and gyroscope sensors, so it wasn’t just always about touchscreen controls.

Read more
App developers get relief from Google tax in one of Android’s biggest markets
Tinder on the GooglePlay App Store.

Just over a week ago, Google was fined approximately $113 million in India for forcing its in-house billing system on developers making Android apps. While the fine was hefty in and of itself, the laundry list orders issued by the Competition Commission of India were the real concern for Google.

The company has now complied with the most controversial directive by removing the mandatory Google Play billing policy for in-app purchases made in India. In an official update, the company notes that it is “pausing enforcement of the requirement for developers to use Google Play's billing system for the purchase of digital goods and services for transactions.”
Why does it matter?

Read more
This EU law could force Apple to open up iMessage and the App Store
Someone holding an iPhone 14 with the display turned on.

The EU's Digital Markets Act (or DMA) has gone into force today. It could force Apple to open up the iPhone's iMessage and app-buying platforms to third-party apps and services. Companies that fall afoul of the act could be fined up to 20% of global turnover. Apple has previously criticized the DMA for being a "blunt instrument."

The DMA aims to allow smaller services to compete more equitably with larger ones. This means that companies with a certain number of users, labeled as gatekeepers, would have to make their platforms interoperable with smaller ones. Large platforms like Facebook or iMessage, for example, would be required to open up, while something like Signal could scrape by.

Read more