- Popular custom watch face distributor Facer is embracing Google’s latest Watch Face Format with hundreds of thousands of new compatible watch faces.
- With this revamp, Facer will regain support on smartwatches running Wear OS 5 and newer versions.
- Additionally, Facer is bringing new watch faces, a new social feed, and an energy consumption label for watch faces.
In 2023, Google set out to improve the state of battery-hungry third-party watch faces on Wear OS. It introduced a new standard called Watch Face Format (or WFF) and started blocking legacy watch faces on Wear OS 5 — stifling third-party watch face marketplaces in the process — to ensure an effective transition. In response to these changes, Facer, the most popular provider of watch faces, is adopting WFF support and reviving compatibility for newer Wear OS devices, including the recently launched Galaxy Watch 8 series and upcoming Pixel Watch 4.
WFF creates a lighter environment for the watch face to exist and operate. It essentially enables custom watch face designers to create lightweight XML-based variations without executable code. While designers can configure the visual elements, the Wear OS platform handles the rest.