Google's new design language, called Material You, first arrived with Android 12, improved with Android 13, and is present on Android 14. It's mainly about infusing every section of the system with a common essence in which colors, shadows, and styles of buttons and menus match. And now, it will arrive on watches with Wear OS 4.
As stated at the Google I/O 2023 a couple of weeks ago, the new iteration of Google's operating system for smartwatches will arrive later this year, though a confirmed date has not yet been released. And among its updates, we now know of the arrival of Material You to customization options.
Wear OS 4, that design language sounds familiar
For now, the complete list of updates that will arrive with Wear OS 4 for watches is unknown, beyond some specific features. One of the most interesting being the possibility of making backups. However, Material You is an unofficial extra upgrade.
We label this functionality as such because, for now, it appears that the watches must be forced to activate this explosion of personalization on watches with Wear OS. As reported by 9to5Google, they had to enable the option to activate the system's theme mode by forcing it.
Once enabled, we can find similarities with what we see on mobile phones. That's because the system accepts a common color combination in practically all sections. From watch faces to the control center, to the settings menus.
It is said that, as with mobile phones, developers will have the ability to enable thematic icons for the applications they offer on Google Play. Thus, the icons we find in the app menu will also be consistent in form and color with what we see in those other sections of the system.
For now, not much more is known about the matter, and it isn't clear whether when Wear OS 4 arrives officially, it will be enabled in a simpler way. It's expected that it will be, as it would represent a significant aesthetic alliance between mobile phones and watches, something that unfortunately hasn't been achieved in recent versions, even after abandoning Android Wear to adopt the name Wear OS.
Source | 9to5Google
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