1 page.title=Preview API Overview 2 meta.tags="wear", "wear-preview" 3 page.tags="wear" 4 page.image=images/cards/card-n-apis_2x.png 5 @jd:body 6 7 <div id="qv-wrapper"> 8 <div id="qv"> 9 <h2>Key developer features</h2> 10 <ol> 11 <ul style="list-style-type:none;"> 12 <li><a href="#ui">User Interface Improvements</a> 13 <ol> 14 <li><a href="#complications">Complications</a></li> 15 <li><a href="#drawers">Navigation and Action Drawers</a></li> 16 </ol> 17 </li> 18 19 <li><a href="#notify">Notifications and Input</a> 20 <ol> 21 <li><a href="#expanded">Expanded Notification</a></li> 22 <li><a href="#messaging">Messaging Style Notification</a></li> 23 <li><a href="#smart-replies">Smart Reply</a></li> 24 <li><a href="#content-action">Notification Content Action</a> 25 <li><a href="#remote-input">Remote Input</a></li> 26 <li><a href="#bridging">Bridging Mode</a></li> 27 <li><a href="#imf">Input Method Framework</a></li> 28 <li><a href="#wrist-gestures">Wrist Gestures</a></li> 29 </ol> 30 </li> 31 32 <li><a href="#stand-alone">Standalone Devices</a> 33 <ol> 34 <li><a href="#wear-apk">Wear-Specific APKs</a></li> 35 <li><a href="#network">Network Access</a></li> 36 <li><a href="#auth">Authentication</a></li> 37 </ol> 38 </li> 39 </ol> 40 </div> 41 </div> 42 43 44 45 <p> 46 The Android Wear Preview API is still in active development, but you can try 47 it now as part of the Wear 2.0 Developer Preview. The sections below 48 highlight some of the new features for Android Wear developers. 49 </p> 50 51 52 <h2 id="ui">User Interface Improvements</h2> 53 54 <p> 55 The preview introduces powerful additions to the user interface, opening up 56 exciting possibilities to developers. A complication 57 is any feature in a watch face that displays more than hours and 58 minutes. With the Complications API, watch faces can display extra information 59 and separate apps can expose complication data. The navigation and action 60 drawers provide users with new ways to interact with apps. 61 </p> 62 63 64 <h3 id="complications">Complications</h3> 65 <img src="{@docRoot}wear/preview/images/complications-main-image.png" 66 height="320" style="float:right;margin:10px 0 0 40px" /> 67 68 <p> 69 A <a href= 70 "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complication_(horology)">complication</a> is a 71 feature of a watch face that displays more than hours and minutes, such as a 72 battery indicator or a step counter. The Complications API thus helps watch face 73 developers create visual features and the data connections they 74 require. 75 </p> 76 77 <p> 78 Watch faces that use this API can display extra information without needing 79 code for getting the underlying data. Data providers can supply data to any 80 watch face using the API. 81 </p> 82 83 <p>For information about this API, 84 see <a href="{@docRoot}wear/preview/features/complications.html"> 85 Watch Face Complications</a>. 86 </p> 87 88 <h3 id="drawers">Navigation and Action drawers</h3> 89 90 <p>Wear 2.0 introduces two new widgets, navigation drawer and action drawer. These 91 widgets give your users new ways to interact with your app. The navigation drawer 92 appears at the top of the screen and allows users to navigate between app views. 93 The action drawer appears at the bottom of the screen and allows users to choose 94 from a list of actions associated with the current usage context. These drawers 95 are accessible to users when they edge swipe from the top or bottom of the 96 screen; they peek when users scroll in an opposite direction. 97 </p> 98 99 <div class="cols"> 100 <div class="col-2of6"> 101 <img src="{@docRoot}wear/preview/images/nav_drawer.gif" 102 height="240" alt="" style="padding:.5em"> 103 </div> 104 <div class="col-2of6"> 105 <img src="{@docRoot}wear/preview/images/action_drawer.gif" 106 height="240" alt="" style="padding:.5em;"> 107 </div> 108 </div> 109 110 <p> 111 To learn how to add these widgets to your app, see 112 <a href="{@docRoot}wear/preview/features/ui-nav-actions.html"> 113 Wear Navigation and Actions</a>. 114 </p> 115 116 117 <h2 id="notify">Notifications and Input</h2> 118 119 <p>In Wear 2.0, weve redesigned the key experiences on the watch to be even more 120 intuitive and provide users new ways to respond to messages. Some of the highlights 121 are below; for a complete list of changes, see 122 <a href="{@docRoot}wear/preview/features/notifications.html">Notification Changes in Wear 2.0</a>. 123 124 125 <img src="{@docRoot}wear/preview/images/expanded_diagram.png" height="340" 126 style="float:left;margin:10px 20px 0 0" /> 127 <h3 id="expanded">Expanded notifications</h3> 128 129 <p> 130 When a user taps on a notification that is bridged from the phone to the 131 watch or that lacks a 132 <a href="{@docRoot}reference/android/support/v4/app/NotificationCompat.Builder.html#setContentIntent(android.app.PendingIntent)"> 133 {@code contentIntent}</a>, the user will be taken to the expanded view of 134 that notification. When you <a href= 135 "{@docRoot}training/wearables/notifications/pages.html">specify additional 136 content pages</a> and actions for a notification, those are available to the 137 user within the expanded notification. Each expanded notification follows 138 <a href="https://google.com/design/spec-wear">Material Design for Android 139 Wear</a>, so the user gets an app-like experience. 140 </p> 141 142 143 <h3 id="messaging">Messaging Style notification</h3> 144 <p> If you have a chat messaging app, your notifications should use 145 {@code Notification.MessagingStyle}, which is new in Android 6.0. Wear 2.0 uses 146 the chat messages included in a 147 <a href="{@docRoot}preview/features/notification-updates.html#style">{@code MessagingStyle}</a> 148 notification 149 (see {@code addMessage()}) to provide a rich chat app-like experience in the 150 expanded notification. 151 </p> 152 153 154 <h3 id="smart-replies">Smart Reply</h3> 155 156 <p>Android Wear 2.0 introduces support for Smart Reply in 157 <a href="{@docRoot}wear/preview/features/notifications.html#messaging">{@code MessagingStyle}</a> 158 notifications. Smart Reply provides the user with contextually relevant, 159 touchable choices in the expanded notification and in 160 <a href="{@docRoot}reference/android/app/RemoteInput.html">{@code RemoteInput}</a>. 161 </p> 162 163 <p>By enabling Smart Reply for your {@code MessagingStyle} notifications, you provide 164 users a fast (single tap), discreet (no speaking aloud), and reliable way to respond 165 to chat messages they receive. 166 </p> 167 168 169 <img src="{@docRoot}wear/preview/images/remoteinput.png" height="350" 170 style="float:right;margin:10px 0 0 40px" /> 171 172 <h3 id="remote-input">Remote Input</h3> 173 174 <p>Wear 2.0 users can choose between various input options from 175 <a href="{@docRoot}reference/android/app/RemoteInput.html">Remote Input</a>. 176 These options include: 177 </p> 178 <ul> 179 <li>Dictation</li> 180 <li>Emoji</li> 181 <li>Canned responses</li> 182 <li>Smart Reply</i> 183 <li>Default IME </i> 184 </ul> 185 186 <p> 187 For messaging notifications with Smart Reply, the system-generated Smart Reply 188 appears within <a href="{@docRoot}reference/android/app/RemoteInput.html">{@code RemoteInput}</a> 189 above the developer-provided list of canned responses. 190 You can also use the 191 <a href="{@docRoot}reference/android/app/RemoteInput.Builder.html#setChoices(java.lang.CharSequence[])">setChoices()</a> 192 method in the {@code RemoteInput} API to enable users to select from a list 193 of canned responses. 194 </p> 195 196 <h3 id="bridging"> Bridging Mode </h3> 197 <p>By default, notifications are 198 <a href="{@docRoot}training/wearables/notifications/index.html"> 199 bridged</a> (shared) from an app on a companion phone 200 to the watch. Since a phone app and a standalone watch app may be sources of the 201 same notifications, the Android Wear 2.0 Preview includes a Bridging mode feature. 202 Developers can begin planning to change the behavior of notifications with the 203 following: 204 </p> 205 206 <ul> 207 <li>Specifying in the standalone app's Android manifest file that notifications from 208 the corresponding phone app should not be bridged to the watch. </li> 209 <li>Setting a dismissal ID so notification dismissals (by users) are synced across 210 devices.</li> 211 </ul> 212 213 <p>For an example of how to use this feature, see <a href="{@docRoot}wear/preview/features/bridger.html"> 214 Bridging Mode for Notifications</a>.</p> 215 216 <h3 id="imf">Input Method Framework</h3> 217 218 <p>Wear 2.0 extends the Android input method framework (IMF) to Android Wear. 219 This allows users to enter text on Wear using the system default IME or third party 220 IMEs. The Wear IME lets the user enter text via gesture typing as well as tapping 221 individual keys. The IMF APIs used for Wear devices are the same as other form 222 factors, though usage is slightly different due to limited screen real estate. 223 </p> 224 225 <p>Wear provides user settings on the watch that let the user:</p> 226 <ul> 227 <li>Enable multiple IMEs from the list of installed IMEs.</li> 228 <li>Set a single default IME from the list of enabled IMEs.</li> 229 <li>Change languages for various IMEs.</li> 230 </ul> 231 232 <p>To learn how to create an IME for Wear, see <a href="{@docRoot}wear/preview/features/ime.html"> 233 Input Method Framework</a>. 234 </p> 235 236 <h3 id="wrist-gestures">Wrist Gestures</h3> 237 238 <p> 239 Wrist gestures can enable quick, one-handed interactions with your app 240 when use of a touch screen is inconvenient. The following 241 <a href="https://support.google.com/androidwear/answer/6312406">wrist gestures</a> 242 are available for use by apps: 243 </p> 244 245 <ul> 246 <li>Flick wrist out</li> 247 <li>Flick wrist in</li> 248 </ul> 249 250 <p>For more information, see 251 <a href="{@docRoot}wear/preview/features/gestures.html"> 252 Wrist Gestures</a>. 253 </p> 254 255 <h2 id="stand-alone">Standalone Devices</h2> 256 257 <p>Standalone watches will enable Android Wear apps to work independently of phone 258 apps. This means your app can continue to offer full functionality even if the 259 paired phone is far away or turned off. </p> 260 261 <h3 id="wear-apk">Wear-Specific APKs</h3> 262 263 <p>For delivery to a watch, an Android Wear app is currently embedded in its corresponding 264 phone app. This delivery method can result in an increased download size for users, 265 regardless of whether they have an Android Wear device. 266 </p> 267 268 <p>With standalone devices, the 269 <a href ="{@docRoot}google/play/publishing/multiple-apks.html">Multi-APK</a> 270 delivery method will be used. Developers will have the ability to release Android 271 Wear apps independently of the corresponding phone apps. Please stay tuned for 272 more information about this change. 273 </p> 274 275 <h3 id="network">Network Access</h3> 276 277 <p>Since Android Wear apps will work independently of phone apps, Android Wear's 278 network access will no longer require the 279 <a href="{@docRoot}training/wearables/data-layer/index.html"> 280 Wearable Data Layer API</a>. Android Wear apps will have the ability to make 281 their own network requests. Additionally, they will be able to directly use 282 Google Cloud Messaging. 283 </p> 284 285 <p>No APIs for network access or GCM are specific to Android Wear; refer to the 286 existing documentation about 287 <a href="{@docRoot}training/basics/network-ops/connecting.html"> 288 Connecting to the Network</a> and 289 <a href="https://developers.google.com/cloud-messaging/">Cloud Messaging</a>. 290 </p> 291 292 <p>We recommend using the following libraries:</p> 293 <ul> 294 <li><a href="{@docRoot}reference/android/app/job/JobScheduler.html"> 295 JobScheduler</a> for asynchronous jobs, including polling at regular intervals 296 </li> 297 <li>Multi-networking APIs if you need to connect to specific network types; see 298 the <a href="{@docRoot}about/versions/android-5.0.html#Wireless"> 299 Multiple Network Connections</a> 300 </li> 301 </ul> 302 303 <p>You will still be able to use the 304 <a href="{@docRoot}training/wearables/data-layer/index.html"> 305 Wearable Data Layer API</a> to communicate with a phone app. 306 However, use of this API to connect to a network will be discouraged. 307 </p> 308 309 310 <h3 id="auth">Authentication</h3> 311 312 <p>Since Android Wear apps will work independently of phone apps, Android Wear's 313 authentication capabilities will be more powerful; apps will have new ways to 314 authenticate.</p> 315 316 <h4>Users can enter a username and password on a watch</h4> 317 318 <p>Google Keyboard will be standard on Android Wear, allowing for direct text 319 entry. This feature will work as expected with standard 320 <a href="{@docRoot}reference/android/widget/EditText.html">EditText widgets</a>. 321 For passwords, the {@code textPassword} attribute will be used.</p> 322 323 <h4>Utilizing Account Manager</h4> 324 325 <p>Android Wear will include the 326 <a href="{@docRoot}reference/android/accounts/AccountManager.html"> 327 AccountManager</a>, which will be accessible for syncing and storing account 328 data, as it is on an Android phone.</p> 329 330 <h4>Authentication tokens can be passed over the Wearable Data Layer</h4> 331 332 <p>For Android-paired watches (only), a phone securely 333 transfers authentication credentials to a watch app via the 334 <a href="{@docRoot}training/wearables/data-layer/index.html"> 335 Wearable Data Layer API</a>. The credentials can be transferred as 336 messages or data items.</p> 337 338 <p>If your watch app needs to determine if your phone app is installed, you can 339 advertise a capability on the phone app and retrieve the capability on the 340 watch. For more information, see the following sections of 341 <a href="{@docRoot}training/wearables/data-layer/messages.html"> 342 Sending and Receiving Messages</a>:</p> 343 344 <ul> 345 <li>Advertise Capabilities</li> 346 <li>Retrieve the Nodes with the Required Capabilities</li> 347 </ul> 348
