Google has announced the latest version of Wear OS, Wear OS 5.1 Preview, based on Android 15, which is now available in the official emulator in Android Studio. The new release is for developers who want to create and test apps for the latest version of Wear OS. Google also highlighted a couple of new features in the update.
Wear OS 5.1 Preview, based on Android 15 (API level 35), requires developers to test their apps that already target API level 34 for Wear OS 5. For those uninitiated, Wear OS 3 was based on Android 11, Wear OS 4 on Android 13, and Wear OS 5 on Android 14. The two new notable additions in Wear OS 5.1 Preview include:
- Credential manager support: The Credential Manager API provides a unified authentication solution, supporting sign-in flows using passwords, passkeys, and federated identity (such as Sign In with Google). A user’s credentials are stored in a credential provider, which syncs account information across devices.
- Watch speaker playback:Â If your App integrates with the Wear Output Switcher, users can select the watch speaker as their preferred media output option on devices that support media playback through it.
The first feature was announced earlier in May this year during Google I/O 2024. As for Watch speaker playback, Apple already has the same in its Watch Series 10 that was announced earlier in September this year.
Read More: Samsung Rolls Out Wear OS 5-based One UI 6 Watch Update for Galaxy Watch 6 Series
The system image that’s available on the Wear OS 5.1 emulator has the following characteristics:
- Release date: November 19, 2024
- Build ID: AP4A.241205.004.F1
The release also has some known issues, including:
- The emulator doesn’t always allow the user to add an account during the setup flow following a device reset.
- When tapping on a notification, the app that sent the notification doesn’t open until the user scrolls the screen.
- Wear Health Services sometimes fails to start an exercise.