As with mobile, Google also has exclusive wallpapers for its Pixel Watch – the company’s smartwatch offers distinct watch faces not found on other smartwatches . Unless you don’t install them, of course: you can download exclusive watch faces to your Wear OS . We explain how to do it.
Google left us with honey on our lips after the presentation of its first official smartwatch, the Google Pixel Watch: the company brought it to Europe, but not to all countries. Despite the fact that we cannot buy it in Spain, nor in many other territories where it would surely have its audience, there is a way to obtain part of its appeal: the Pixel Watch spheres are compatible with other Wear OS . Of course, the process to install them is somewhat cumbersome.
Install watch faces on Wear OS via wireless ADB
Pixel Watch watch faces on the Samsung Galaxy Watch4
The process of downloading and installing the watchfaces is similar to the steps necessary to install the Google Pixel backgrounds on other Androids: you have to download the relevant apk file and install it on the device . Although in smartwatches there is an added complication: it is necessary to use ADB and you cannot use the USB cable.
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Since the entire process is done wirelessly, the steps involve having your computer and watch connected to the same home WiFi network . You will have to write down the IP addresses and proceed to upload the file for the relevant installation of the watchfaces. The process and files are safe, but there is always some risk : install only if you decide to take it.
- You need to have ADB active on your computer. In the event that you have not installed it , start by following this tutorial.
- Once you have ADB, you have to download the watchfaces of the Pixel Watch: you have them in APK Mirror. Download the latest apk to your computer.
- Make sure that both the watch and the computer are connected to the same WiFi network.
- Now it’s time to install the watchfaces on the watch. To do this, you need wireless ADB: access your Wear OS settings, enter “Connections”, go to “Wi-Fi”, click on the network where you have connected and note the IP address of your watch.
- Go back to the smartwatch settings, go down to “About the watch”, enter “Software” and press several times on “Software version” until you activate the developer options.
- Go back to the main menu, scroll down to “Developer options”, enter the menu and enable ADB debugging and “Debugging with WiFi”.
- Open a terminal window on your computer, go to the folder where you have ADB installed (by default it will be “Platform-Tools”) and type “adb kill-server” (without the quotes) to stop the process. To start it again, and make sure no other device is using the connection, type “adb start-server”. Daemon should start normally. Note that if you are using a macOS or Linux computer you must type “./” in front of each ADB statement. The previous one would look like this: “./adb start-server” (without the quotes).
- Turn to connect via wireless ADB to your watch: type “adb connect xx.xxx.xx.xx” changing the Xs for the IP address you had written down (take into account to start the instruction with a “./” if you are using macOS or linux). Accept debugging on the watch – the terminal should reflect the successful connection.
- Now it’s time to install the apk file of the Pixel Watchfaces on the watch. To do this, save the APK you downloaded in the same folder where ADB is running (“Platform-Tools”) and rename the file to make it easier for you to type the instruction. For example, “pixel.apk”.
- Type “adb -s xx.xxx.xx.xx install pixel.apk” changing the Xs to the IP address. You will have installed the Google Pixel Watch spheres on your Wear OS.
The “Success” notice alerts that the app was installed via wireless ADB
- If a “Success” appears in the terminal, the process was carried out without problems. Otherwise you will have to repeat it.
- Type “adb disconnect” to disconnect the watch from the computer.
- Now go into your Wear OS developer settings, turn off ADB over WiFi and ADB debugging. This step is important: if you don’t do it, your watch will drain the battery by constantly waiting for a connection.
Once installed, you only need to choose your new watchfaces from the watch app on your phone (Wear OS or Galaxy Wearables, depending on the brand of your smartwatch): they are found under “Downloaded”.
The Pixel Watch’s watchfaces work fine on the rest of Wear OS, although they may not work well on your watch ( especially when it comes to battery consumption ). In case you have problems, choose one of the spheres that come standard in your Wear OS again.