This page provides a guide for you to build your first app for Wear OS, using a
template from Android Studio. The app showcases the different ways to view
information at a glance on Wear OS devices, and introduces some best practices
for developing apps on the platform.

This guide builds upon some prior knowledge about the Android platform and the
[Android Studio IDE](https://developer.android.com/studio). If you're completely new to Android, [create an app
using this codelab](https://developer.android.com/codelabs/basic-android-kotlin-compose-first-app#1). To learn more about Android Studio's capabilities, visit
the [Meet Android Studio](https://developer.android.com/studio/intro) page.
| **Note:** To use the latest system images that are available for the emulator, install Android Studio Hedgehog or later.

## Create a Wear OS app

After you download and install the latest version of Android Studio, complete
the "new project" wizard:

1. Open Android Studio, and then go to **File \> New \> New Project** . The **New Project** window appears.
2. In the **Templates** pane, select **Wear OS** . Then, in the main pane, select **Empty Wear App**.
3. Name your project, and then click **Finish**. Android Studio downloads the necessary dependencies and builds the initial version of your project.
4. Go to [**Tools \> SDK Manager**](https://developer.android.com/studio/intro/update#sdk-manager), click **Show Package Details**, and
   install the following packages:

   - **Android 15.0 ("VanillaIceCream")** (API level 35-ext15), which includes the **Wear OS 5.1 ARM 64 v8a System Image** and the **Wear OS 5.1 Intel x86 Atom_64 System Image**.
   - **Android 14.0 ("UpsideDownCake")** (API level 34), which includes the **Wear OS 5 ARM 64 v8a System Image** and the **Wear OS 5 Intel x86 Atom_64 System Image**.
   - **Android 13.0 ("Tiramisu")** (API level 33), which includes the **Wear OS 4 ARM 64 v8a System Image** and the **Wear OS 4 Intel x86 Atom_64
     System Image**.

   | **Note:** The latest stable version of Wear OS, Wear OS 5.1, is based on Android 15.

   To close the SDK Manager, click **OK**.

You're now ready to run your first app on Wear OS.
| **Note:** By default, the **New Project** wizard creates a standalone, independent Wear OS app that doesn't need to connect to another device in order to run.  
|
| A Wear OS app should work independently of a phone app, giving users the greatest flexibility in their choice of phones. If your app's experience or complexity requires you to connect to a phone, see the guide on how to [connect
| a watch to a phone](https://developer.android.com/training/wearables/get-started/connect-phone).

## Run an app on the emulator

The easiest way to run your first Wear OS app is to configure an emulator.
| **Note:** If you plan to make your Wear OS apps available in China, also visit the [Create Wear OS apps for China](https://developer.android.com/training/wearables/apps/creating-app-china) page.

### Configure an emulator

To configure an emulator in Android Studio, complete the following steps:

1. In the SDK Manager, Open the **SDK Tools** tab. Confirm that you have the latest version of **Android SDK Platform-Tools**. Close the SDK Manager.
2. Go to **Tools \> Device Manager**.
3. Select **Create (+)** . The **Virtual Device Configuration** wizard appears.
4. In the **Category** pane, select **Wear OS** and choose a hardware profile, such as **Wear OS Small Round** . Click **Next**.
5. For system images used outside of China, select the **UpsideDownCake**
   release name. This release targets Android 14.0 (Wear OS 5). For
   system images used in China, select the **R** release name. This release
   targets Android 11.0 (Wear OS 3). If you don't already have a Wear OS 5
   system image installed that matches your device definition, click
   **Download** next to the **Release Name** to get it. Click **Next**.

   **Note:** System images for the Wear OS emulator include notices of
   third-party files and source code. You can view third-party notices for a
   particular system image by opening the `NOTICE.txt` file, which
   is in one of the following directories:
   - `$ANDROID_HOME/system-images/android-`<var translate="no">API_VERSION_NUMBER</var>`/android-wear/`<var translate="no">ABI</var> for emulators used outside of China.
   - `$ANDROID_HOME/system-images/android-`<var translate="no">API_VERSION_NUMBER</var>`/android-wear-cn/`<var translate="no">ABI</var> for emulators used in China.
6. You can keep the default value for all the settings on this screen, unless
   you want to customize your emulator. Click **Finish**.

For more information about using emulators, see the guide about how to [run apps
on the Android Emulator](https://developer.android.com/studio/run/emulator).

### Open the app in the emulator

1. Go to **Run \> Select Device**. Choose the emulator that you just created.
2. In the Android Studio toolbar, click **Run** ![](https://developer.android.com/static/studio/images/buttons/toolbar-run.png). The emulator starts and opens your app.
3. After a few moments, you should see a "Hello..." message in the emulator.

### Test Bluetooth audio using the emulator

On system images the run Wear OS 4 or higher, the emulator supports emulated
Bluetooth, which lets you [test Bluetooth audio](https://developer.android.com/training/wearables/apps/test-bluetooth-audio) across several use cases.

### Recent system images only support 64-bit architectures

The emulator system images for Wear OS 4 and higher only support these 64-bit
architectures: `x86-64` and `arm64-v8a`. If you know or suspect that your app
uses native code (that isn't written in the Kotlin or Java programming
languages), check that your app includes both 32-bit and 64-bit native
libraries.

Learn more about how to [support 64-bit architectures](https://developer.android.com/google/play/requirements/64-bit).

## Run an app on a physical watch (optional)

Running and debugging your app on an actual watch lets you better evaluate the
total user experience. This is particularly important if your app relies on
specific hardware, such as sensors or a GPU.

To run an app on a physical watch, prepare the device for testing, and then
connect it to your development machine.

### Prepare watch for testing

To prepare your watch for testing, enable ADB debugging by completing the
following steps.

1. On the watch, open the **Settings** menu.
2. Go to the bottom of the menu. If no **Developer options** item appears, complete the following sub-steps. Otherwise, continue to the next step.
   1. Tap **System \> About** or **System \> About \> Versions**.
   2. Find the **Build number** item and tap it seven times. If your watch is protected by a PIN or pattern, enter it when prompted to do so.
3. From the **Settings** menu, tap **Developer options**.
4. Enable the **ADB debugging** option.

### Connect watch to development machine

Some watches let you connect over USB. Others require a wireless connection.

#### Set up a wired connection over USB

Connect the watch using the following steps:

1. Using a USB cable, connect the watch to your development machine.
2. On the watch, enable **Always allow from this computer** , and then tap **OK**.

#### Set up a wireless connection

If your watch lacks a USB port, learn how to [connect a watch using Wi-Fi or
Bluetooth](https://developer.android.com/training/wearables/apps/debugging).

### Install a specific version of Wear OS (optional)

If your app's test case depends on a specific version of Wear OS, you can flash
a software image onto watches that support a USB (wired) data connection. For
example, you can flash a [factory image](https://developers.google.com/android/images-watch) or a [full OTA image](https://developers.google.com/android/ota-watch)
onto a Google Pixel Watch 3 or Google Pixel Watch 2 device.

### Open the app on the watch

1. Go to **Run \> Select Device**. Choose the watch that is connected to your machine.
2. In the Android Studio toolbar, click **Run** ![](https://developer.android.com/static/studio/images/buttons/toolbar-run.png). The emulator starts and opens your app.
3. After a few moments, you should see a "Hello..." message appear on the watch.

## Recommended for you

- Note: link text is displayed when JavaScript is off
- [Integrate custom C/C++ build systems using Ninja (experimental)](https://developer.android.com/build/cxx-ninja)
- [Vulkan validation layers on Android](https://developer.android.com/ndk/guides/graphics/validation-layer)
- [Release notes](https://developer.android.com/training/wearables/versions/5/release-notes)