Wear OS getting new Tiles for sunrise/sunset and contacts and updated Google Keep app

Abner Li | Dec 1 2022 - 9:00 am PT

For the holidays, Wear OS is seeing a trio of new features, including two additional first-party Tiles and a more capable Google Keep app.

The Wear OS Weather app is getting a new Sunrise / Sunset Tile to complement the system watch face complication. It simply notes what time the two daily events will occur and provides a countdown toward each. At the bottom, progress is also noted by an arc that features the sun.

A Favorites Contacts Tile is also coming that can show up to five people’s profile images and features a shortcut to open the full Google Contacts app. These two Tiles are rolling out now.

Meanwhile, Google Keep is following its initial Material You redesign in September with a richer notes feed. At the moment, you just get pill-shaped cards that can show up to two lines of text. Previews will soon show up to four lines of text (title + three more) and support background colors and the default set of illustrations.

Google Keep dual-pane redesign for Android tablets rolling out

Keep already supports image previews in the feed, but they’ll soon — along with drawings — appear taller and let you see more than one at a time. You’ll also be able to see collaborators as profile avatars on the main feed, as well as at the bottom of notes. Users will also get to see any labels they’ve added just before the buttons to Add Reminder, Pin, or Archive. Google looks to have introduced transparent backgrounds for notes as you open and scroll.

The updated Google Keep app will be available “later this month” on Wear OS 3 watches.

Lastly, the adidas Running Wear OS 3 app will soon (“over the next week”) let you use Google Assistant to quickly jump into an exercise:

Just say “Hey Google, start a run with adidas Running” and the app will open and start tracking your workout, noting your speed, distance and heart rate via the built-in sensor on your smartwatch.