Google reveals first Wear OS widget partners and explains how the new system saves battery

Google already confirmed that Wear OS 7 will introduce a new widget system for smartwatches, but during a developer session at I/O 2026, the company shared a much closer look at how these widgets will actually work, what they’ll look like on watches, and which apps will support them first.

First things first, Google has now confirmed that Wear OS Tiles are officially being rebranded as “Wear Widgets.”

That largely clears up any ambiguity around the future of Tiles and makes it clear that Google is transitioning toward a broader, widget-centric experience across Android devices.

Google also offered a closer look at the new 2×1 and 2×2 widget layouts, while confirming some of its early access partners that will be among the first to bring Wear Widgets to Wear OS. Those partners include Spotify, WhatsApp, Peloton, and Todoist.

Furthermore, the company explained that the new Wear Widgets are powered by Remote Compose, a new remote UI framework designed specifically for out-of-app experiences like widgets. The framework is meant to deliver richer animations, smoother interactions, and better device adaptability while also improving battery life.

According to Google, Remote Compose can handle interactions and animations in Wear Widgets without constantly waking apps in the background, which should help preserve battery life on smartwatches.

The company also emphasized that developers won’t need to abandon existing Wear OS devices. The new Wear Widgets APIs are backwards compatible with Wear OS 4 and above. On watches that support horizontal widget carousels, like the Google Pixel Watch, larger widgets can still appear similarly to today’s full-screen Tiles.

Interestingly, Google also highlighted that these widgets can now populate Multi-Info Tiles on Samsung Galaxy Watches, which were previously limited to Samsung’s own widgets. That could potentially open the door for deeper customization on Samsung Galaxy Watch devices.

Moreover, Google’s session also showcased widgets coming to Android Auto later this year, as well as new widget types and layouts across Android devices.