Mobvoi announced Wear OS 4 beta program for TicWatch, How to download

TicWatch users have been wondering when they will receive the next-gen Wear OS software update. While most Mobvoi devices are already running Wear OS 3.0, there is yet another update available for smartwatches such as the Google Pixel Watches and the Samsung Galaxy Watches — called Wear OS 4.0.

Mobvoi just announced the Wear OS 4 beta program for their TicWatch Pro 5 series. A recent post by the official moderator of Mobvoi unveiled open beta program for the flagship smartwatch.

The company’s decision to release the beta version indicates their commitment to providing users with the best possible experience by allowing them to test the new features and improvements before the official release. There is still hope for Wear OS 4 for the Ticwatch Pro 3 and E3 series.

Google’s Wear OS 4 from the Pixel Watch based on the newer Android 13 can now be installed on Ticwatch.

This upcoming update features a new “Watch Face Format — a better way to build watch faces — in collaboration with Samsung.

One of the notable aspects of this update is that Wear OS 4 is that it is based on the Android 13 operating system. It also supports all the newer Google apps and comes with Play Store to install them.

TicWatch users can expect many new features and enhancements to improve their smartwatch experience. The integration of Android 13 ensures improved performance, better battery optimization, and increased stability across the TicWatch lineup.

How to download Wear OS 4 for Mobvoi’s TicWatch?

To participate in the Wear OS 4 beta program, you must have a Ticwatch Pro 5 device, and interested users can sign up through a Google form provided by Mobvoi.

• Sign up for Mobvoi Beta Program using this Google Form.

Note: You may need to sideload the firmware via ADB (Android Debug Bridge) Tools and ADB Capable System like Windows, Mac, or Linux System that has ADB Tools Installed.

If not, don’t worry we will have the tutorial for you once the full stock firmware zip is available for download.

Wear OS 4 Full Changelog

Here is the full changelog of Wear OS 4 upgrade including its features, personal safety experiences, numerous bug fixes, battery improvements and performance updates to smartwatches.

Note: the changelog has been extracted from the Pixel Wear OS 4 update. Not all features may come to Ticwatch. It’s up to the manufacturer to integrate features.

Watch transfer

• When you upgrade your Pixel phone, you can now easily transfer your Pixel Watch to your new phone without having to factory reset it. Your devices will be synced and ready to go.

Backup and restore

• Backup and restore helps you securely backup your data and settings from your old Pixel Watch so you can easily switch to a new Pixel Watch while keeping all of your data, settings, and watch faces in place.

Google Calendar app

• The new Google Calendar app will be preinstalled on your watch with this update. You can get event and task notifications, view 30 days of your schedule, easily navigate to event locations right from your wrist, and even mark tasks as complete. Plus, you’ll have more ways to access your calendar, from a tile or complication, to keep important info in plain sight.

Safety Features

• With your upgrade to Wear OS 4, you may access to the latest and greatest in Safety – Safety Check, Emergency Sharing, and Emergency Info on your watch.

Accessibility & customization

• New and improved customization capabilities, like a new text-to-speech engine supporting a faster, a more reliable TalkBack experience on your watch. Bold text, new and improved magnification, and audio balance to adjust intensity of sound between right and left audio channels.

Enhanced notifications

• Notifications come with smart link recognition of phone numbers and addresses, allowing you to tap to call, message, or get directions. Embedded media previews let you quickly view images and GIFs without leaving the notification shade. These enriched alerts provide more information upfront so you can take action faster.

New Watch Face Format for Wear OS 4

According to Google’s blogpost, Samsung and Google built a format called “Watch Face Format,” for developers and designers so they can easily create high-quality and power-efficient watch faces for Wear OS 4.

The Watch Face Format is a new way to build watch faces for Wear OS smartwatches, developed in partnership with Samsung.

The format is a declarative XML format that does not involve any executable code, meaning that the Wear OS platform takes care of the logic needed to render the watch face.

This means that watch face designers will no longer have to worry about code optimizations or battery performance as Wear OS will handle the rendering logic. As a result, maintenance and updates will be reduced, and designers will benefit from the latest bug fixes and performance enhancements without updating the watch face.

The Watch Face Format lets designers create analog and digital watch faces, watch faces with complications, customizable watch faces, and more. Here are some examples.

Analog and digital watch faces:

Watch faces with complications:

Customizable watch faces:

And more…

Samsung’s Watch Face Studio is an alternative to directly writing XML using the Watch Face Format, and makes it easy for designers to create watch faces without any coding experience.

You can read all about the Watch Face Format for Wear OS here.