The Android Wear smartwatch OS reached version 5.0 this December, with the new version bringing the first official support for custom watch faces. Google have even opened a new section of the Google Play store for them. There are 31 watch faces to choose from – and we’ve downloaded and tried them all, so you don’t have to! Here are our recommendations, suitable for both round and square smartwatches.
10. ustwo Smart Watch Faces – free
Our first watch face is actually four, called Albumen, Episode, Next and Runway. Each one offers interesting glanceable information. Albumen represents busy periods in the next 12 hours as abstract blobs, Episode shows current and upcoming weather, Next shows your next calendar appointment and Runway is a 12-hour weather forecast. All four faces are reasonably stylish, and the face is worth an install.
9. PAC-MAN Watch Face – £0.63
Next up is the PAC-MAN watch face. It’s a bit expensive for a single face, but you do get a properly animated PAC-MAN who roams the perimeter of your watch, eating power-pellets and chasing ghosts. You may need to install the StayLit Wear app, which keeps your display on for longer, for the full effect.
8. Despicable Watch Face – £0.63
If you’re a fan of the Despicable Me movies, then this watch face featuring the minions will be just up your street. You get the time in the upper right corner, with various minions showing up and causing mischief over the course of the day.
7. Un Petit Monde Watch Face – free
The Un Petit Monde watch face is a nice artsy watch face, which shows a hand-drawn time readout above a time-lapse of a travel-inspired scene. It’s simple, but effective.
6. Behance Watch Faces – free
There are few wordy watch faces, but there’s one in this pack from Behance. Other options include more traditional analogue designs and some cool novel ones. The combination of five minimal watch faces and backed with nice artwork is a strong one
5. BCBGMAXAZRIA – free
The least pronounceable watch face is also one of the most stylish. BCBGMAXAZRIA shows the time in a small circle that moves throughout the day, surrounded by a glitzy series of concentric circles in nine selectable colours.
4. Muzei Live Wallpaper – free
As the name suggests, Muzei is not just a watch face; it’s also a wallpaper app from your phone. You can choose between ‘featured art’ (a new painting every day), your photos or images from 500px (with the 500 Firepaper app installed). Once chosen, your wallpaper will be reflected on your watch.
3. Odyssey Premium Watch – £0.79
This futuristic watch is often cited as the pick of the bunch, offering a traditional analogue design cloaked in modern colours and with a few added functions. You’ll see a battery indicator for both phone and watch, a weather forecast and a date indicator. It’s all done in a fairly streamlined fashion, treading just on the right side of cluttered.
2. ustwo Watch Faces – free
ustwo return with another large – and free! – collection of watch faces. There are 12 in all, including two of my favourites, ‘Air’ and ‘Invert’. These oft-customisable watches each execute well on a single simple idea, and there’s sure to be at least one to catch your fancy. You should take advantage of the new Wear 5.0 ability to hide watch faces though, lest you be flooded with unwanted additions.
1. Speeds Pro – £0.99
Without question, the finest watch face available for Android Wear 5.0 is Speeds Pro. The face offers a cool 60s American diner feel, with well chosen typography and an iconic sense of style. The app is also highly customisable, with a phone/battery metre on the left, a date/day indicator on the right, and a dial at the bottom. This dial can be a static design element, a working speedometer, a step counter and a lot more. It’s a beautifully constructed package that is well worth buying.
Conclusion
We hope you’ve found this breakdown helpful! Be sure to contribute your own favourite Android Wear watch faces, and let us know what you thought of the selection in the comments below.
Fixed, thank you.
Despicable Me watch faces isn’t free in the Play Store at least. Os it free anywhere else?