Android Application Development All-in-One For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Chapter 2

Developing for Android Wear

In This Chapter

Running Android apps on wearables

Creating a basic wearable app

Creating a watch face app

Not long ago, when I was writing an article for a technology website, I asked a Google staff member about the range of uses for the Android operating system. “Android runs phones, tablets, watches, automobiles, televisions, autos, and other things. What is it about Android that makes the platform so versatile?” The staff member sensed that I was a) feeding him an easy question and b) trying to sound “pro-Google,” so he didn’t answer the question. I should have known better. In any case, the applicability of Android to so many form factors is impressive.

Many of this book’s concepts work on all kinds of devices. But when I describe a particular feature, I usually think “smartphone or tablet.” In this chapter, I veer briefly from that path and deal exclusively with wristwatches (known formally as Android Wear devices, or wearables for short).

Setting Up Your Testing Environment

To run this chapter’s example, the only thing you need is an Android Wear AVD. Here’s how you get one:

1. In Android Studio’s main menu, choose Tools  ⇒  Android  ⇒  SDK ...