Tag Archives: Pixel Watch

Meet the Android Studio Team: A Conversation with Product Manager, Paris Hsu

Posted by Ashley Tschudin – Social Media Specialist, MTP at Google

Welcome to "Meet the Android Studio Team"; a short blog series where we pull back the curtain and introduce you to the passionate people who build your favorite Android development tools. Get to know the talented minds – engineers, designers, product managers, and more – who pour their hearts into crafting the best possible experience for Android developers.

Join us each week to meet a new member of the team and explore their unique perspectives.

Paris Hsu: Empowering Android developers with Compose tools

Meet Paris Hsu, a Product Manager at Google passionate about empowering developers to build incredible Android apps.

Her journey to the Android Studio team started with a serendipitous internship at Microsoft, where she discovered the power of developer tools. Now, as part of the UI Tools team, Paris champions intuitive solutions that streamline the development process, like the innovative Compose Tools suite.

In this installment of "Meet the Android Studio Team," Paris shares insights into her work, the importance of developer feedback, and her dream Android feature (hint: it involves acing that forehand).


Can you tell us about your journey to becoming a part of the Android Studio team? What sparked your interest in Android development?

Honestly, I joined a bit by chance! The summer before my last year of grad school, I was in the Microsoft's Garage incubator internship program. Our project, InkToCode, turned handwritten designs into code. It was my first experience building developer tools and made me realize how powerful developer tools can be, which led me to the Android Studio team. Now, after 6 years, I'm constantly amazed by what Android developers create – from innovative productivity apps to immersive games. It's incredibly rewarding to build tools that empower developers to create more.

In your opinion, what is the most impactful feature or improvement the Android Studio team has introduced in recent years, and why?

As part of the UI Tools team in Android Studio, I'm biased towards Compose Tools! Our team spent a lot of time rethinking how we can take a code-first approach for tools as we transition the community for XML to Compose. Features like the Compose Preview and its submodes (Interactive, Animation, Deploy preview) enable fast UI iteration, while features such as Layout Inspector or Compose UI Check helps find and diagnose UI issues with ease. We are also exploring ways to apply multimodal AI into these tools to help developers write more high quality, adaptive, and inclusive Compose code quicker.

How does the Android Studio team ensure that products or features meet the ever-changing needs of developers?

We are constantly engaging and listening to developer feedback to ensure we are meeting their needs! some examples:

    • Direct feedback: UXR studies, Annual developer surveys, and Buganizer reports provide valuable insights.
    • Early access: We release Early Access Programs (EAPs) for new features, allowing developers to test them and provide feedback before official launch.
    • Community engagement: We have advisory boards with experienced Android developers, gather feedback from Google Developer Experts (GDEs), and attend conferences to connect directly with the community.

How does the Studio team contribute to Google's broader vision for the Android platform?

I think Android Studio contributes to Google's broader mission by providing Android developers with powerful and intuitive tools. This way, developers are empowered to create amazing apps that bring the best of Google's services and information to our users. Whether it's accessing knowledge through Search, leveraging Gemini, staying connected with Maps, or enjoying entertainment on YouTube, Android Studio helps developers build the experiences that connect people to what matters most.

If you could wave a magic wand and add one dream feature to the Android universe, what would it be and why?

Anyone who knows me knows that I am recently super obsessed with tennis. I would love to see more coaching wearables (e.g. Pixel Watch, Pixel Racket?!). I would love real-time feedback on my serve and especially forehand stroke analysis.

Learn more about Compose Tools

Inspired by Paris’ passion for empowering developers to build incredible Android apps? To learn more about how Compose Tools can streamline your app development process, check out the Compose Tools documentation and get started with the Jetpack Compose Tutorial.

Stay tuned

Keep an eye out for the next installment in our “Meet the Android Studio Team” series, where we’ll shine the spotlight on another team member and delve into their unique insights.

Find Paris Hsu on LinkedIn, X, and Medium.

Create exceptional experiences on Pixel’s new watches and foldables

Posted by Maru Ahues Bouza – Product Management Director

Pixel just announced the latest devices coming to the Android ecosystem, including Pixel 9 Pro Fold and Pixel Watch 3. These devices bring innovation to the foldable and wearable spaces, with larger screen sizes and exceptional performance.

Not only are these devices exciting for consumers, but they are also important for developers to consider when building their apps. To prepare you for the new Pixel devices and all the innovations in large screens and wearables, we’re diving into everything you need to know about building adaptive UIs, creating great Wear OS 5 experiences, and enhancing your app for larger watch displays.

Building for Pixel 9 Pro Fold with Adaptive UIs

Pixel unveiled their new foldable, Pixel 9 Pro Fold with Gemini, at Made By Google. This device has the largest inner display on a phone1 and is 80% brighter than last year’s Pixel Fold. When it’s folded, it’s just like a regular phone, with a 6.3-inch front display. Users have options for how to engage and multitask based on the screen they are using and the folded state of their device - meaning there are multiple different experiences that developers should be considering when building their apps.

the Pixel 9 Pro Fold

Developers can help their app look great across the four different postures – inner, front, tabletop, and tent – available on Pixel 9 Pro Fold by making their app adaptive. By dynamically adjusting their layouts—swapping components and showing or hiding content based on the available window size rather than simply stretching UI elements—adaptive apps take full advantage of the available window size to provide a great user experience.

When building an adaptive app, our core guidance remains the same – use WindowSizeClasses to define specific breakpoints for your UI. Window size classes enable you to change your app layout as the display space available to your app changes, for example, when a device folds or unfolds, the device orientation changes, or the app window is resized in multi‑window mode.

Announced at Google I/O 2024, we’ve introduced APIs that, under the hood, take advantage of these WindowSizeClasses for you. These APIs provide a new way to implement common adaptive layouts in Compose. The three components in the library – NavigationSuiteScaffold, ListDetailPaneScaffold, and SupportingPaneScaffold – are designed to help you build an adaptive app with UI that looks great across window sizes.

Finally, developers who want to build a truly exceptional experience for foldables should consider supporting tabletop mode, where the phone sits on a surface, the hinge is in a horizontal position, and the foldable screen is half opened. You can use the Jetpack WindowManager library, leveraging FoldingFeature.State and FoldingFeature.Orientation to determine whether the device is in tabletop mode. Once you know the posture the device is in, update your app layout accordingly. For example, media apps that adapt to tabletop mode typically show audio information or a video above the fold and include controls and supplementary content just below the fold for a hands-free viewing or listening experience.

Screenshot of gameplay from Asphalt Legends Unite (Gameloft)
Asphalt Legends Unite (Gameloft)

Even games are making use of foldable features: from racing games like Asphalt Legends Unite and Disney Speedstorm to action games like Modern Combat 5 and Dungeon Hunter 5, Gameloft optimized their games so that you can play not just in full-screen but also in split-view tabletop mode which provides a handheld game console experience. With helpful features like detailed game maps and enhanced controls for more immersive gameplay, you’ll be drifting around corners, leveling up your character, and beating the bad guys in record time!

Preparing for Pixel Watch 3: Wear OS 5 and Larger Displays

Pixel Watch 3 is the latest smartwatch engineered by Google, designed for performance inside and out. With this new device, there are also new considerations for developers. Pixel Watch 3 rings in the stable release of Wear OS 5, the latest platform version, and has the largest display ever from the Pixel Watch series - meaning developers should think about the updates introduced in Wear OS 5 and how their UI will look on varied display sizes.

the Pixel Watch 3

Wear OS 5 is based on Android 14, so developers should take note of the system behavior changes specific to Android 14. The system includes support for the privacy dashboard, giving users a centralized view of the data usage for all apps running on Wear OS 5. For apps that have updated their target SDK version to Android 14, there are a few additional changes. For example, the system moves always-on apps to the background after they're visible in ambient mode for a certain period of time. Additionally, watches that launch with Wear OS 5 or higher will only support watch faces that use the Watch Face Format, so we recommend that developers migrate to using the format. You can see all the behavior changes you should prepare your app for.

Another important consideration for developers is that the Pixel Watch 3 is available in two sizes, 41 mm and 45 mm. Both sizes offer more display space than ever2, having 16% smaller bezels, which gives the 41 mm watch 10% more screen area and the 45 mm watch 40% more screen area than on the Pixel Watch 2! As a developer, review and apply the principles on building adaptive layouts to give users an optimal experience. We created tools and guidance on how to develop apps and tiles for different screen sizes. This guidance will help to build responsive layouts on the wrist using the latest Jetpack libraries, and make use of Android Studio’s preview support and screenshot testing to confirm that your app works well across all screens.

Learn more about all these exciting updates in the Building for the future of Wear OS technical session, shared during this year’s Google I/O event.

Learn more about how to get started preparing your app

With these new announcements from Pixel, it’s a great time to make sure your app looks great on all the screens your users love most. Get your app ready for large screens by building adaptive layouts and learn more about all things Wear OS on our Wear OS developer site. For game developers, be sure to read our large screen game optimization guide and check the sample project to learn the best practices for leveling up your game for large screen and foldable devices.

For even more of the latest from Android, tune into the Android Show on August 27th. We’ll talk about Wear OS, adaptive apps, Jetpack Compose, and more!


1 Among foldable phones in the United States. Based on inner display. 
2 Compared with Pixel Watch 2.

Wear OS 4 is now stable and available on Google Pixel Watch 2!

Posted by Kseniia Shumelchyk, Android Developer Relations Engineer and Kevin Hufnagle, Android Technical Writer

Google Pixel Watch 2 is here and brings the capabilities of Wear OS 4 to users; get your app ready for the latest software and devices!


We're excited to bring Wear OS 4 and new user experiences to more devices, including the new Google Pixel Watch 2! We’re also providing updated developer tools for you to prepare your apps for Wear OS 4.

Pixel Watch 2, announced at Made by Google, will support Wear OS 4 upon its release this month. Wear OS 4 brings features and improvements to help you deliver more engaging and delightful experiences in your app.
Image of three watch faces created using the Watch Face Format

Later this year, Pixel Watches will receive a system update to Wear OS 4, further expanding the set of users who can enjoy your app’s capabilities on the latest software.

Developers can also continue to use Samsung Galaxy Watches to test their apps on Wear OS 4.

The latest version of Wear OS offers several capabilities that make it easier to develop dependable, helpful wearable experiences:

Watch Face Format

Created in partnership with Samsung, the Watch Face Format is a declarative XML format that lets you design the appearance and behavior of watch faces. There is no executable code involved in creating a watch face using the Watch Face Format, and there will be no code embedded in your watch face APK.

The Wear OS platform takes care of the logic needed to render the watch face that uses the Watch Face Format. This means that you don’t have to worry about code optimizations or battery performance. We recommend that you create your watch face using the Watch Face Format.

Image of three watch faces created using the Watch Face Format
Watch faces created using the Watch Face Format

More seamless data transfer

On devices that support cloud backup—including Pixel Watch 2 and Pixel Watch—users can transfer data from one Wear OS watch to another using a cloud backup and restore process. You can customize the set of files in your app that the system should include in a cloud backup, so that users only restore app data that’s meaningful to them.

Additionally, Wear OS 4 allows users to transfer their watch to a new phone without needing to perform a factory reset on the watch. They complete this process when setting up the new phone, as shown in the following flow below.

If your app stores user configuration data for the watch on the old phone, you can allow the system to transfer this app data onto the new phone too. The guide on how to transfer Wear OS data to a new mobile device has more details.

ALT TEXT
The user-facing process for transferring watch data onto a new phone, when the user first connects the new phone to the watch. This example shows the experience when the user initiates the data transfer from the old phone.

Enhanced Tiles

Wear OS 4 offers enhanced capabilities for your app’s tiles. Version 1.2 of the Jetpack Tiles library introduces support for platform data bindings and animations, so you can provide even more responsive experiences to your users.

Moving images of animated tile on the left and a tile using data binding on the right
Watch faces created using the Watch Face FormatExamples of animated tile (on the left) and a tile using data binding (on the right)

Get your app ready for Wear OS 4

Wear OS 4 is based on Android 13, which is several versions newer than the current Wear OS version, so your app will need to handle the system behavior changes that take effect in Android 12 and Android 13.

Read the developer documentation to discover key behavior changes and learn how to interact with new features. We recommend you start by testing your app and releasing a compatible update, so that you’re ready when the first devices get upgraded to Wear OS 4. This gives your app a basic but critical level of quality that provides a good experience for users.

Wear OS 4 emulator

Today we’ve also released updated system images for Wear OS emulators, available starting in Android Studio Hedgehog to help test your apps on Wear OS 4.

The new Wear OS 4 emulator doesn’t support native 32-bit code, so if your app uses native code, make sure that it includes both 32-bit and 64-bit native libraries. This will also prepare your app for upcoming 64-bit only hardware.

Learn more

To begin developing apps for Wear OS, try our Compose for Wear OS codelab, and check out the documentation and samples.

Discover even more! View the Wear OS session from Google I/O, and read about the latest Jetpack releases for Wear OS.

There’s never been a better time to get your app ready for Wear OS 4 and all the latest Wear OS watches. We can’t wait to see your apps on Wear OS 4 and what experiences you’ll build!