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| OS wearables have custom panels |
Google announced that developers can create custom panels for Wear OS watches, saying: to allow developers to customize panels with smartwatches running the operating system.
The search giant first released a feature panel in 2019 that allows users to view information at a glance using the Quick Access interface, but only to Google or the device manufacturer's apps.
The company announced that these custom dashboards should be available to users when Google releases the base Wear OS update in the spring.
Google said: The board can be designed for many use cases such as: for example, to track the progress of a user's daily activities, to start a quick workout, to start a new song, or to send a message to a favorite contact.
She added: While the app can be immersive, the panel can load quickly and focus on the user's immediate needs. If the user wants more information, they can click the board or phone clock to open the associated application. for further information. A deeper experience.
Developers can create the first panel through Android Studio as part of the Wear OS app. Google said: You can add a Wear OS panel first.
Google has also released a list of best practices for creating Wear OS dashboards:
- Display only the most important content with a clear information hierarchy as the dashboard captures information that users can read in seconds.
- Avoid frequently repeated items to protect user's battery.
- Keep a very interactive experience of the events, but you can connect to these events through the board.
- Avoid texting past or future events as they require frequent updates. Instead, view the actual start time or end time.
- Avoid long term asynchronous work in saving board layout or resources and board code should be executed quickly.
- Consider allowing users to click on the dashboard for more information and actions as it supports rich interactions and users can scroll down for more information.
- If you have a large app that allows users to multitask, consider creating a schedule for each task. For example, a Fitness app can have a goal board and an activity board.
In the past, developers could successfully create panels using unofficial APIs, but relying on unofficial APIs is a risky business.