Google introduced Swipe Tiles for Wear OS in 2019 as a way to present information, such as a user’s weather or fitness information, on a fast access interface. However, the Tiles users can add to their smartwatches, but all are first party offers from Google or from the manufacturer of their device. That will change soon, as the technology giant has announced that the Jetpack Tiles library, which third-party developers can use to create custom Wear OS tiles, is in alpha.
The fate of Google’s Wear OS has been hanging in the balance for a while now. It did not get a new version years ago, and some believe that the Fitbit acquisition of the technology giant could cause the platform to die. Regardless, Wear OS is still available, and Google has released minor updates to it. In November, for example, it added three new tiling options for those who want a shortcut to recent workouts, weather information and guided breathing sessions. The company says it will also roll out an update this spring that will give users access to any third-party tiles being developed for the operating system.