It’s been a rocky couple of years for Facer, but after losing compatibility with Wear OS 5 smartwatches a year ago, the app is back and ready for our Wear OS 6-powered future.
Of all the third-party watch faces available on the Play Store, Facer is undoubtedly the most successful. After branching out with hundreds of various customizable options, Facer has also become the best way to get themed faces, featuring collaborations with brands like Star Trek, Dungeons & Dragons, and Barbie. Unfortunately, its Android compatibility dried up last year, as Wear OS 5’s “Watch Face Format” support became mandatory to access watch face complications.
Facer ran into all sorts of issues with making the move to Watch Face Format, including limited capabilities and functionality on existing themes, forcing faces to be purchased within the Play Store — a restriction that also would’ve forced users to re-buy content they’d already purchased — and the lack of subscription support. But, as announced at Google I/O, Facer worked with Google to bring the app back for Wear OS 6 watches, and right on cue, the update’s ready for this week’s Galaxy Watch 8 launch.
This update isn’t just about restoring support for Wear OS and Watch Face Format though — it also includes a ton of new features and improvements for existing Facer users, and it starts with improved battery life. Facer on Wear OS 6 should deliver “significantly improved battery life on all faces,” according to the company’s announcement post. Meanwhile, a new “Power Impact” feature lets users toggle between richer complications or battery-saving settings, complete with a power rating for highlighting “super-low power consumption” designs.
Facer is also introducing “Looks,” a miniaturized social network for users to show off and browse customized watch faces. While I can’t imagine anyone replacing Instagram with this tool, it seems like a pretty good place to browse through new Facer styles, with the ability to quickly add them to your own smartwatch with the press of a button. The company’s branded partnership initiative is also moving forward, with SpongeBob-themed designs available right now.
To celebrate its return to Android, new Premium subscribers can score a year’s worth of watch faces for just $15 — that’s $5 off the usual first-year price and $25 off the typical renewal price. If you’re a Wear OS 5 user, subscribing prior to September 30th through the company’s website will also grant you a promo code for two of the currently-available Facer faces on the Play Store. Not too shabby.
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