Writing on its Android Developer's Blog, the search giant revealed some of the key features coming to the Android wristwear platform, including a default Dark UI for better «
glanceability for wear apps» and the end of background activity for apps unless your watch is on charge.
For
improved glanceability, notifications in Android O are better grouped, with developers being able to customize the background color.
According to the post, version 2.8 features improved
notification glanceability with a new layout, which allows you to see more of your message at a glance.
As before, Google highlights that the reason for the Dark theme is because it was aimed at
enhancing glanceability so the display was easier to see and the notifications were easier to read.
Microsoft has also improved the search logic and the turn - by - turn design for
greater glanceability in landscape mode.
Google has repeatedly stressed that this is only to be used for ongoing tasks that require
immediate glanceability and recognition from users, such as navigation, phone calls, and media controls.
Update: Android Wear version 2.9 is now available, bringing the highly - anticipated notification indicators as well as
improved glanceability.
Dark UI system theme: To
enhance glanceability, Wear OS has switched to a UI theme with a darker / black background for the notifications stream and system launcher since the start of the year.
Balancing information density and
glanceability is always tricky, but Google manages a reasonable blend of both in Oreo.
According to Google, this should «improve
the glanceability for wear apps,» which is an interesting way to put it.
This is now also the default for the system theme and should improve
the glanceability for wear apps.
2.8 offers a new layout for notifications which features «improved notification
glanceability» by showing more of the message at once.