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How to Change or Customize Watch Faces on a Wear OS Smartwatch

Touch and hold your current Wear OS face to choose another, or open Customize to edit supported styles and complications. Find faces in the companion app or Google Play.
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On most Wear OS watches, touch and hold the current watch face, swipe through the available designs, and tap one to use it. To personalize a face, choose one that offers Customize or a settings control; options may include colors, styles, and the information shown on the face. You can often make these changes on the watch or in its companion phone app.

Change the watch face on your watch

  1. Wake the display if it is off or dim.
  2. Touch and hold the current face to open the face chooser. On some watches, swipe from the current screen instead.
  3. Swipe left or right to browse the faces available on the watch.
  4. Tap a face to apply it.

The exact gesture and labels can vary with the watch model and software.

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Customize a face’s style and information

  1. Touch and hold the current face to open the chooser.
  2. Select a face with a settings icon or a Customize control.
  3. Open its settings and adjust the options shown. Depending on the face, these can include color or visual style and the data or apps displayed in face areas.
  4. Tap the changed face or use the watch’s displayed finish or save control to apply your changes.

Not every face is editable. If you do not see a settings control or Customize option, try another face or consult the face developer’s instructions. Samsung’s Galaxy Watch guidance describes similar on-watch steps, with options that can include background or hand color and complications or widgets: Manage watch faces for your Samsung smart watch.

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Change or customize a face from your phone

Google says you can also manage faces through the Wear OS app or your watch’s companion app. On supported Galaxy watches, open the Galaxy Wearable app and tap Watch faces. Select a face to apply it, or choose Customize if the face supports editing. Samsung’s Canadian instructions note that customization from the app is limited to faces installed on the watch: Manage and customize watch faces on your Samsung Galaxy Watch.

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Add faces, hide them, or remove downloaded ones

To browse for more faces, open the watch’s face chooser and use its add-more option. Google directs Wear OS users to compatible faces in Google Play, which can be browsed on the web, phone, or watch. The options shown as available for your device are the ones Google identifies as compatible.

To tidy the on-watch list, use Hide in the chooser for a face you do not want displayed there. Google documents a different removal gesture for Wear OS 2. A downloaded face can also be removed like an app.

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Older faces may no longer be available to install or update on newer watches, and a face may not transfer during setup or restore if it is incompatible. Check availability for the target watch in Google Play. See Google’s guidance on installing watch faces on a new watch.

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What complications are and how to use them

A complication is a section of a watch face that displays information or provides access to an app. To use one, choose a face with complication slots, open its customization settings, then assign one of the available data types or apps to a slot. The choices depend on the face and watch.

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A face may need permission to receive complication data. You can allow or deny that access in the watch’s app permissions. Google’s developer documentation explains the personalization and complication-data permission model.

How to choose a face that fits your watch

  • Style controls: Check whether the face lets you change its colors or visual design.
  • Useful slots: Look for the number and type of complication areas, then check whether they support the apps or information you want.
  • Compatibility: Confirm the face is available for the exact watch in Google Play, especially if it is an older design.
  • Editing route: See whether the face can be customized on the watch, in its companion app, or both.

For Galaxy Watch models, Samsung describes browsing faces in Galaxy Wearable and, on supported models, directly through the watch chooser. Its US instructions name Galaxy Watch4, Watch5, and Watch6 for the described Wear OS watch-side flow. Samsung cautions that screens and settings can vary by model, carrier, software, and phone, so its steps should not be assumed to match every Galaxy Watch.

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Samsung’s Canadian guidance says Wear OS Galaxy Watch models such as Watch4 and later require a compatible Android phone and Galaxy Wearable for setup and management in Canada. Requirements can differ by market; check the support information for your region and exact model.

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A note for face creators

For people developing or technically evaluating watch faces, Android Developers says Watch Face Format has been required for installing faces on all Wear OS devices since January 2026. It is a declarative XML format developed in partnership with Samsung. This platform requirement is not a setting consumers need to change when selecting a face. Read the Android Developers Watch Face Format documentation.

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