Google adds more bite-sized ‘Tiles’ apps to Wear OS smartwatch

Image: raymond wong / mashable

Google hasn’t completely given up on its Wear OS smartwatch platform just yet.

Ahead of its I/O developer conference, Google’s updated Wear OS with what it calls “Tiles” — new widget-sized apps designed to help you quickly do more right from your wrist.

Currently, if you swipe left from the watch face on the latest version of Wear OS, you’ll be taken to Google Fit, where you can see information about your Move Minutes and Heart Points.

With Tiles, swiping left adds even more bite-sized apps a glance — you’re no longer limited to Google Fit.

At launch, Google’s adding six new Tiles to Wear OS: Goals, Next event, Forecast, Heart rate, Headlines, and Timer.

Each Tile is self-explanatory. Goals lets you check your progress on your fitness goals or begin a workout, the Forecast tile displays weather information, Headlines displays the latests news stories, etc.

Google says customizing the order in which Tiles appear on your Wear OS watch is pretty simple, too, and it can be done either in Wear OS or via the Wear OS by Google app.

While Tiles isn’t an overhaul of Wear OS, which could honestly use a major update with some new features, it shows Google’s at least trying to breathe some air into its smartwatch platform instead of letting it wither and die.