Google has improved the Always-On Display feature in Wear OS 6

Google unveiled Wear OS 6 this month, showing off a revamped Material 3 Expressive-style interface. But one of the more practical innovations went largely unnoticed – until now. It’s a change to the always-on display that will delight all Wear OS smartwatch users.

Google’s announcement of Wear OS 6 this month showed off an updated Material 3 Expressive interface.

On the Android Developers site, Google quietly revealed that media controls now remain active on the screen even in standby mode when the user isn’t interacting with the device. This means that the current song and playback controls will remain on the display without the need to manually activate the screen.

And that means the current song and playback controls will remain on the display without the need to activate the screen manually.

The images published by Google show that the interface displays the current track, controls, and even playback progress – all available in passive screen mode. Previously, you had to wake up the watch for these actions, which added unnecessary steps.

The company explains that this is part of a push to provide «a unified» user experience for always-on displays across devices. The activity displayed on the screen now remains «resumed» even when the watch goes into system standby mode.

Although Google explicitly talks only about the media player, the wording about «resumed activity» suggests that this could affect other scenarios as well: timers, navigation, workout tracking, and other tasks that require constant attention.

The new version of Wear OS is only available as a developer preview for now. A final release is expected in the coming months. In addition to always-on display improvements, the system promises up to 10% better battery life, support for Live Updates and Material 3-like visual changes.

Material Google improves Always-On Display feature in Wear OS 6 was first published on ITZine.ru.