Mountain View, California — Google is taking steps to refresh its Wear OS platform with the upcoming introduction of Material 3 Expressive. Although the design language won’t be fully implemented until later this year, users are already experiencing preliminary updates across various applications and Tiles.
A key feature of Material 3 Expressive is its adaptation to round watch faces. This new interface design prioritizes user interaction with elements that embrace the display. For instance, arc-shaped buttons have been introduced along the edges of the screen, allowing for a more intuitive navigation experience.
One user of the Pixel Watch recently highlighted the changes within the Google Calendar app’s Wear OS Tiles, specifically the “Next Event” and “Next Tasks” features. The new design replaces the older, pill-shaped buttons with a more accessible format that provides a larger touch area, significantly improving user engagement.
Today, Google released an update for the Google Calendar app, version 2025.18.1, though immediate visibility of the Material 3 Expressive buttons has yet to be confirmed on some devices. It appears the rollout may be dependent on server-side components, which means not all users will see the changes at once.
While the full suite of features associated with Material 3 Expressive will arrive for wearables later this year, the gradual updates promise a notable transformation. Tiles within Wear OS are set to evolve, providing denser layouts that enhance the amount of information available to users at a glance.
Overall, the push toward Material 3 Expressive signifies Google’s commitment to refining user experience on Wear OS. By integrating design elements that better fit the circular screens of smartwatches, Google aims to create a more seamless interaction for users, catering to the unique demands of wearable technology.
As technology continues to advance, updates such as these underscore the importance of innovative design in enhancing usability and functionality within smart devices. Observers in the tech community are eager to see how these changes will impact user engagement once the full rollout is completed.