Google dropped Wear OS 5.1 based on Android 15 on Android Studio’s Emulator. The latest version of Google’s wearable operating system is now available on the official emulator.
The company hasn’t officially announced the Wear OS 5.1 software’s availability on Emulator in Android Studio.
Based on Android 15, Wear OS 5.1 will be available on eligible smartwatches from Google, Samsung, OnePlus, and other OEMs.
Wear OS 5.1 debut on Emulator allows app developers to test their applications. The public beta program is expected to launch in the next few months.
Google says, “To run Wear OS 5.1 in the official emulator, you must first download and install the system image that runs on the emulator.”
However, you will also need to create a virtual device that runs this system image” after selecting one of the following builds:
- Wear OS 5.1 – Preview ARM 64 v8a System Image
- Wear OS 5.1 – Preview Intel x86_64 Atom System Image
The company notes that several behaviour changes don’t take effect in Wear OS 5.1. It includes Private spaces are not supported and Predictive back animations might not appear.
Google also released new features for app developers. These additions will help developers bring new features to Wear OS 5.1.
Wear OS 5.1 Release Notes and Known Issues (Source)
Notable features to explore include the following:
Credential manager support: The Credential Manager API provides a unified authentication solution, supporting sign-in flows using passwords, passkeys, and federated identity.
Watch speaker playback: On devices that support media playback through the watch speaker, users can select this speaker as their preferred media output option if your app integrates with the Wear Output Switcher.
