Material 3 Expressive Design & Gemini AI for Wear OS First Look
The latest change in smartwatch design has arrived with Material 3 Expressive, bringing a completely overhauled user experience to round-display wearables. This design language embraces the circular form factor and introduces fluid animations that follow the natural curvature of the display. Let’s take a look at the upcoming Wear OS 6 update for your smartwatch and the new Material 3 Expressive Design.
Embracing the Round Display
Material 3 Expressive fundamentally recognizes what makes smartwatches unique: their circular displays. Rather than forcing rectangular UI paradigms onto round screens, the new design language celebrates and optimizes for this distinctive form factor. The result is an interface that feels natural and intuitive on your wrist.
- Scrolling animations that trace the curvature of the display
- Lists that animate with a sense of depth
- Refreshed daily experiences like using the pin pad and controlling media
- Smooth transitions with shape-morphing elements that adapt to the smaller screen
Take a look at new UI with Material 3 Expressive design language on Wear OS devices:
Gemini for Wear OS
The biggest change is Gemini assistant coming to smartwatches. Google officially announced that Gemini is replacing the legacy Google Assistant on Android phones, Wear OS, Android Auto, and even Android TV/Box.
Take a look at Gemini working on Wear OS:
Gemini is coming to your Wear OS smartwatch sooner than later with natural talking language. No need for awkwardly typing into a tiny watch screen or tap every time you want the buggy assistant to work.
Gemini can connect to your apps. So you can ask about anything, including opening times of a restaurant, about emails you sent to your friends and get the answer right on your wrist — without needing to pause the work you are doing and pull out your phone.
Fluid Motion and Depth
One of the most striking aspects of the new design is how it handles scrolling. As you navigate through lists and menus, elements animate with a sense of depth that traces the curvature of your watch face. This creates a more immersive experience where information feels more accessible and less cramped despite the limited screen real estate.
Google has clearly put considerable thought into how motion can improve usability. When you scroll through notifications or apps, the animation provides visual feedback that helps you understand where you are in the list and how much content remains—a crucial improvement for small displays where context can easily be lost.
Refreshed Daily Interactions
Even routine interactions have received thoughtful updates:
- Pin Pad: Entering numbers now features responsive animations that make the experience feel more dynamic and engaging
- Media Controls: Adjusting volume or skipping tracks comes with improved haptic and visual feedback
- Transitions: Shape-morphing elements adapt seamlessly to different contexts, maintaining visual continuity despite the space constraints
These seemingly small changes add up to create a watch interface that feels more responsive and satisfying to use throughout your day.
Dynamic Color-Theming
Personalization takes a major leap forward with system-wide dynamic color-theming. Now, when you choose a watch face, that aesthetic choice extends beyond just the clock display to influence the entire watch interface.
The system intelligently adapts your chosen color palette across various UI elements while maintaining accessibility and readability—no small feat on a display where space and contrast are at a premium.
Improved UI Elements
Glanceable Buttons
The new “glanceable buttons” are a perfect example of design that respects the unique form factor of smartwatches. These buttons stretch to follow the curve of the display, creating several benefits:
- Space efficiency: Maximizing the limited screen real estate
- Improved tappability: Larger touch targets that are easier to hit accurately
- Visual harmony: UI elements that look at home on a round display rather than awkwardly cropped
Enhanced Tiles
Tiles have become an essential part of the smartwatch experience, providing quick access to important information without launching full apps. The Material 3 Expressive update makes these tiles more engaging and functional.
Whether you’re checking the weather, viewing your fitness stats, or messaging favorite contacts, the new tile designs provide clearer information hierarchy and more intuitive interactions. The focus seems to be on reducing friction for the tasks you perform most frequently on your watch.
Performance and Battery Improvements
The upcoming Wear OS 6 update brings significant performance optimizations that result in up to 10% more battery life—a substantial gain for devices where every hour of usage matters.
This improvement addresses one of the most consistent pain points for smartwatch users: the need to charge frequently. By optimizing both the visual design and the underlying system performance, Google is creating a more satisfying overall experience that doesn’t sacrifice battery life for aesthetic improvements.
When Can You Update to Wear OS 6?
Google has announced that Material 3 Expressive will debut first on Pixel Watch 1, 2, and 3 later this year before rolling out more broadly. The company is working with partners to bring these design improvements to Android 16 and Wear OS 6 devices including Samsung Galaxy 4, 5, 6, and Watch 7 series in the next major upgrade with One UI Watch 8.
Samsung Confirms: Google Gemini Is Coming to Samsung Galaxy Watch and Buds
Update: Samsung just confirmed in a story that Google Gemini is expected to rollout to Samsung Galaxy Watches and Buds, possibly with One UI 8 Watch OS upgrade. Samsung states the following:
Your Galaxy wearables are about to get even smarter in the coming months. Google Gemini is set to debut on Samsung Galaxy Watches, making its first integration into the Galaxy wearable lineup. Moreover, activating Gemini will be smoother than ever when paired with the Galaxy Buds3 series. This update will extend AI functionalities across the entire Galaxy ecosystem, creating a more cohesive and intelligent user experience.
