Some of the stunning watch faces coming to Android Wear. Photo: Google
Google announced its biggest Android Wear update yet on Wednesday, which finally delivers a dedicated custom watch face API that allows developers and designers to build news faces with greater functionality. But it’s not all good news; Google says the custom watch faces you’ve already been using will be pulled if they aren’t updated to use the new API.
Some of the stunning watch faces coming to Android Wear. Photo: Google
Custom watch faces for Android Wear devices have long been a thing, but they’ve never officially been supported with a proper watch face API. That’s changing with a major Android Wear update that Google is going to be rolling out to users over the next week. The search giant has even partnered up with some big names to demonstrate just how pretty custom faces can be.
An Omega watchface on the Moto 360. Photo: Rico Fox
That fancy Rolex face you’ve downloaded for your smartwatch won’t be available for much longer if luxury watchmakers get their way. A number of the world’s leading watch brands are clamping down on copycat faces designed for smartwatches and hope to get them banished from the Internet, according to a new report.
The apps you buy for Nexus Player will have been approved by Google. Photo: Google
Developers may be free to release (almost) whatever they like for Android, but with Android TV, things are going to be a little different. Google will screen and approve Android TV apps before publishing them in the Play Store to ensure a good experience for its users, according to its guidelines for developers.
The new Moto G is already getting a taste of Lollipop. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android
For a short while it looked like LG was going to become the first third-party device manufacturer to roll out an official Android 5.0 Lollipop update, but Motorola has beaten the South Korean company to it. Its massive Lollipop upgrade is already rolling out to users with an unlocked Moto G, and this time it isn’t just a soak test.
