DEV Community: WatchLux

How to Use Dark Theme and Wallpaper Colors on Android

WatchLux — Tue, 13 Oct 2026 13:06:50 +0000

Dark theme and your wallpaper's color scheme together decide how most of your Android phone looks. Google documents both in its Android Help center. This guide covers turning dark theme on and off, why it sometimes turns on by itself, the newer expanded option, and how to change the color palette taken from your wallpaper.

Google notes that some of these steps work only on Android 13 and up, and menus can differ by phone maker.

Turn dark theme on or off

Open the Settings app.
Tap Display.
Turn Dark theme on or off.

Google's tip: dark theme can make your screen easier to read and can save battery on some screens.

From Quick Settings

Toggle it: tap the Dark theme tile in Quick Settings. If you don't see it, add the tile to your Quick Settings panel first.
Open its settings: touch and hold the tile to open the dark theme settings page.

Why dark theme turned on by itself

If you see a dark color scheme but didn't turn on Dark theme, Google says battery saver may be the reason. When battery saver is on, dark theme may turn on automatically, and on some phones battery saver turns on when the charge falls below a certain level, like 15%.

To turn off battery saver: Settings > Battery > Battery Saver > Turn off now.

To stop it from turning on automatically: Settings > Battery > Battery Saver > Set a schedule, then choose No schedule.

Google also notes you can't use battery saver in light theme. If you want light theme, turn battery saver off.

Dark theme's expanded option

The expanded option applies dark theme to more apps. Turn it on in Settings > Display & touch > Dark theme > Expanded.

Google's caveats:

Some apps may look different. Images may appear altered, or text on top of images may be hard to read.
To exclude an app, tap Settings next to the expanded option and turn off the toggle for that app.
To turn it off for all apps, select Standard on the dark theme settings page.

If an app still looks light, it may not support the expanded option yet, or it may have opted out.

Change the color scheme from your wallpaper

Open Settings.
Tap Wallpaper & style.
To change the palette drawn from your wallpaper, tap Wallpaper colors and choose a palette.
To use a specific color instead, tap Basic colors and choose one.

Pairing wallpapers with dark theme

These are design suggestions rather than settings:

Pick a darker wallpaper when you use dark theme, so the Home screen matches the darker menus.
Choose wallpapers with one strong accent color. The palette it generates tends to look more cohesive.
Try a few palettes. Preview more than one option under Wallpaper colors before settling on one.

Troubleshooting

An app stays light: it may not offer dark theme. Check the app's own Theme or Display settings.
An app is dark in light theme: the app may have its own dark setting on, or use a dark design that can't be changed.
Dark theme keeps coming back: check whether battery saver is on or scheduled.

Going further with ScreenLux

If you want moving artwork to pair with dark theme, ScreenLux is the app I built for Android 8.0 and up. ScreenLux: live wallpapers for iPhone and 4K video wallpapers for Android. All artwork is created with generative AI tools.

ScreenLux is free to download and preview; subscription unlocks the full catalog and removes ads.

My team specializes in advanced generative AI art and video, and WatchLux and ScreenLux are where we apply it to the watch and the phone.

Android: ScreenLux on Google Play

Sean McCue, Founder, WatchLux and ScreenLux

How to Use Photo Shuffle for a Rotating iPhone Lock Screen Wallpaper

WatchLux — Tue, 13 Oct 2026 13:05:32 +0000

Can't pick one favorite photo? iPhone's Photo Shuffle rotates your Lock Screen through a set of pictures automatically: on tap, every time you lock the phone, hourly, or daily. It's built into the wallpaper settings. Here's how to set it up, following Apple's support pages.

Set up Photo Shuffle

Open Settings and tap Wallpaper.
Tap Add New Wallpaper.
Select Photo Shuffle from the top row of options.
Choose one or more categories, such as People, Nature, or Cities, or choose an existing album.
Choose a shuffle frequency: On Tap, On Lock, Hourly, or Daily.
Tap Use Album or Use Featured Photos when you're done (the button text depends on your choice).

Then finish the same way as any wallpaper: tap Add, and choose Set as Wallpaper Pair or Customize Home Screen.

Pick the photos yourself

If you'd rather curate the set:

From the Photo Shuffle screen, tap Select Photos Manually.
Pick your images and tap the checkmark button.
Tap the ellipsis (...) button to choose a shuffle frequency.
Tap Add.

Which frequency should you choose?

On Tap: a new photo each time you tap the Lock Screen. Fun if you like flipping through.
On Lock: changes each time you lock your iPhone, so you see something new often.
Hourly: a steady pace through the day.
Daily: one photo per day, a calm "photo of the day" feel.

Change your Photo Shuffle later

On the Lock Screen, touch and hold to open your wallpaper gallery.
Swipe to your Photo Shuffle wallpaper and tap Customize.
Per Apple's Lock Screen guide, tap the photo thumbnail to change the photo selection, or use the more options button to change the shuffle frequency.
Tap Done.

Make it look polished

Photo Shuffle sits on a regular Lock Screen, so the usual Lock Screen tools still apply. From the editor you can add widgets, change how the time is displayed, try different styles for your wallpaper image, and swap the controls at the bottom.

A few tips:

Choose a consistent theme. One album (a trip, your pet, your garden) looks more intentional than your whole library.
Favor vertical photos. They fill the screen without awkward crops.
Leave room for the clock. Images with open sky or plain background up top keep the time readable.

Keep several Lock Screens

You can create more than one Lock Screen and switch between them. A Photo Shuffle Lock Screen for weekends and a calmer single-image one for work is a nice combination. From the Lock Screen gallery you can also link a Focus to a wallpaper.

Remove a Photo Shuffle wallpaper

Touch and hold the Lock Screen, swipe to the wallpaper, swipe up, and tap the trash icon.

Troubleshooting

The same photo keeps showing: check the frequency. Daily changes only once a day.
Wrong photos appear: switch from a category to Select Photos Manually, or point it at a specific album.
Can't open the gallery with Face ID: Apple's tip is to touch and hold the Lock Screen again, then enter your passcode.

Going further with ScreenLux

If you want motion on the Lock Screen as well as variety, ScreenLux is the app I built. On iPhone you save its wallpapers as Live Photos (iOS 17 or later). ScreenLux: live wallpapers for iPhone and 4K video wallpapers for Android. All artwork is created with generative AI tools.

ScreenLux is free to download and preview; subscription unlocks the full catalog and removes ads.

My team specializes in advanced generative AI art and video, and WatchLux and ScreenLux are where we apply it to the watch and the phone.

iPhone: ScreenLux on the App Store

Sean McCue, Founder, WatchLux and ScreenLux

How to Install a Wear OS Watch Face on Pixel Watch from Google Play

WatchLux — Tue, 13 Oct 2026 13:05:19 +0000

The Pixel Watch ships with a solid set of faces, but Google Play has many more built for Wear OS. You can install them straight from the watch or from the Play Store on your phone. This guide walks through both, then shows how to apply, update, and remove faces, using Google's own help pages.

Before you start

Your watch needs an internet connection to search and download from Play. Google notes it should be on Wi-Fi or LTE.
You'll be signed in to the Play Store on your watch with the Google Account you used to set up the watch.
Keep the Pixel Watch app on your phone up to date. Google recommends updating both the watch and phone so they stay in sync.

Option 1: Install from the watch

On your Pixel Watch, press the crown.
Tap Play Store.
Pick a category or tap Search. You can speak your search with the microphone or type it with the keyboard.
Select the watch face you want and tap Install.

Option 2: Install from your phone

Browsing is easier on a bigger screen.

On your phone, open the Play Store app.
At the top, select the Categories tab.
Tap Watch faces and choose the face you want.
Tap Install to download it to your watch.

Tip from Google: to install to just your phone or to a different watch, tap the Down arrow next to Install and select the device.

Apply the new face

Installing doesn't always switch your face. To use it:

On the watch:

Touch and hold the watch face.
Swipe left or right to browse your faces.
Tap the new face, or tap Edit to change its colors and complications first.

In the Pixel Watch app on your phone:

Tap Watch faces.
Swipe to the face.
Tap Use on watch, or Edit to customize first.

Personalize it

Touch and hold the watch face.
Tap Edit.
Swipe left to scroll through the styles and complication layouts.

The options depend on the face. Some offer many color and layout choices; others very few.

Update your faces and apps

On the watch:

Press the crown and tap Play Store.
Open Manage apps, then tap Update All.

Wear OS Help also describes reaching My Apps by swiping down from the top of the Play Store screen, where updates are listed under "Updates Available."

Remove a face you no longer want

From the Play Store on the watch, swipe down from the top of the screen and tap My Apps. Tap the face or app, scroll to the bottom, and tap Uninstall. Google notes the exact steps can vary by device and software version.

Check your software version

Some watch faces require a minimum Wear OS version. To check yours: swipe down, tap Settings, tap System > About, then tap Versions. To update, go to Settings > System > System updates.

Troubleshooting

The face installed but isn't in the list: make sure the install went to your watch, not only your phone (use the Down arrow on the phone listing).
Can't download: connect the watch to Wi-Fi.
Face options look limited: that's down to the face design; try Edit to see all of its styles.

Going further with WatchLux

WatchLux, the face app I built, is one of the faces you can install this way. You pick a design on your phone and send it to the watch, then apply it with the steps above. WatchLux has over 750 faces on both watchOS and Wear OS. All artwork is created with generative AI tools.

WatchLux is free to download and preview; subscription unlocks the full catalog and removes ads.

My team specializes in advanced generative AI art and video, and WatchLux and ScreenLux are where we apply it to the watch and the phone.

Android and Wear OS: WatchLux on Google Play

Sean McCue, Founder, WatchLux and ScreenLux

How to Share Apple Watch Faces (and Add Ones Friends Send You)

WatchLux — Tue, 13 Oct 2026 13:04:15 +0000

Spent twenty minutes getting a face exactly right, with the perfect complications in every slot? You don't have to rebuild it on a partner's or teammate's watch. Apple Watch faces can be shared as a complete setup, including complications. This guide covers sending and receiving, following Apple's support guide.

What gets shared

A shared face carries its configuration: the face design plus its complications. According to Apple, shared faces can include complications built into watchOS as well as complications from third-party apps.

One requirement: the recipient must have an Apple Watch with watchOS 7 or later.

Share a face from your iPhone

Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone.
Tap a watch face, either one from your collection (under My Faces) or one in the Face Gallery.
Tap the Share button, then choose a sharing option, such as Messages or Mail.

Add a short note about what the face is for ("my running setup," "the travel face with two time zones") so the recipient knows why it's useful.

Receive a shared face

Shared faces can arrive in Messages or Mail, or as a link online.

Open the text, email, or link that contains the shared watch face.
Tap the shared watch face, then tap Add.

If the face uses a third-party complication

Some shared faces include a complication from an app you don't have. In that case, Apple gives you two choices:

Tap Get (or the app's price) to download the app from the App Store, so the face arrives complete.
Tap Continue Without This App to add the face without that third-party complication.

If you open the link on an iPad or Mac

You might come across a shared watch face link while you're on an iPad or Mac. Apple's workaround:

Tap or click the link to download the watch face file.
Send the file to your iPhone with AirDrop or the Files app.
On your iPhone, tap the file and choose to open it in the Apple Watch app.
Tap Add to My Faces.

Ways to use face sharing

Families: set up a simple, high-contrast face for a parent or child once, then share it.
Teams: share a face with your team's time zones as world clocks.
Training groups: share a workout-focused face so everyone sees the same metrics.
Backups of your own setups: send a favorite configuration to yourself in a note or email so it's easy to re-add later.

After you add a face

A shared face behaves like any other face in your collection. You can edit it, reorder it, or remove it. To switch to it on the watch, touch and hold the display, swipe to the face, and tap it. To change its complications, touch and hold, tap Edit, and swipe left to the complications screen.

Troubleshooting

Recipient can't add the face: check that their Apple Watch runs watchOS 7 or later.
A complication is missing after adding: the face likely used a third-party app's complication and the recipient chose Continue Without This App. They can install the app, then add the complication back with Edit.
The link opened on a Mac: follow the AirDrop or Files steps above to move the file to the iPhone.

A quick checklist before you share

Remove complications that only make sense for you, like a private calendar.
Pick a color the recipient will like, or tell them how to change it.
Mention any third-party apps the face relies on, so they can install them first.

Going further with WatchLux

If you'd like a larger pool of designs to build those setups on, WatchLux is the face app I built, with animated and video designs. WatchLux has over 750 faces on both watchOS and Wear OS. All artwork is created with generative AI tools.

WatchLux is free to download and preview; subscription unlocks the full catalog and removes ads.

My team specializes in advanced generative AI art and video, and WatchLux and ScreenLux are where we apply it to the watch and the phone.

iPhone and Apple Watch: WatchLux on the App Store

Sean McCue, Founder, WatchLux and ScreenLux

How to Set a Video Wallpaper on Android

WatchLux — Mon, 12 Oct 2026 14:33:17 +0000

A moving background makes an Android phone feel more personal, but how you get one depends on who made your phone. Samsung Galaxy phones can set a video from your Gallery directly. Other phones, including Pixel, offer preset and photo wallpapers in their Wallpaper & style menu, and you add video through a live wallpaper app. Here's how both work.

Samsung Galaxy: set a video on the Lock screen

You'll need a Lock screen (PIN, pattern, or password) set up first. Save the video on your phone; if it's in a cloud service, download it.

Touch and hold the Lock screen and enter your PIN, pattern, or password.
Tap Wallpapers, then tap Gallery.
Find and select your video, then tap Done.
To shorten it, tap Trim and use the sliders. Tap Play to preview, then Done.
Tap Done in the top right to set it as your Lock screen wallpaper.

Samsung Galaxy: set a video on the Home screen

On supported models and One UI versions:

Touch and hold an empty spot on the Home screen and tap Wallpaper and style.
Tap Change wallpapers, then Gallery.
Select your video and tap Done.
Trim it if you like, then tap Done in the top right.

If your model only allows video on the Lock screen, the Home screen will use a still image instead.

Pixel and other Android phones

Pixel's built-in Wallpaper & style menu uses preset images, your own photos, and effects. To check what's on your phone:

On the Home screen, touch and hold an empty space.
Tap Wallpaper & style, then Change wallpaper.
Choose Lock screen or Home screen to set them separately, pick a wallpaper, then tap Preview and Apply.

For a video, install a live wallpaper app from Google Play. Live wallpaper apps register with Android's wallpaper system, so after you pick a video inside the app, you'll get a standard Android prompt to preview and apply it. Depending on your phone and Android version, you may be able to choose Home screen, Lock screen, or both.

Tips for smooth video wallpapers

Short loops look best. A clean 5 to 15 second loop avoids an obvious jump.
Match your screen. Vertical, high-resolution video fills the display without awkward cropping.
Keep it calm. Slow motion like clouds, water, or light reads well behind icons.
Mind your battery. A moving background naturally does more work than a still one. If battery matters on a given day, switch back to a still wallpaper.

Samsung: set a video straight from Gallery

On many Galaxy models you can also open the video in Gallery, tap the More options (three dots) menu, and choose Set as wallpaper. Then pick the screen and trim the clip if prompted. Trimming to the best few seconds usually gives the cleanest loop.

Troubleshooting

No video option in Gallery picker: your model may only support video on the Lock screen; try setting it there first.
Video gets cut off: use Trim, or pick a shorter clip.
Wallpaper resets after restart: update the live wallpaper app and check that battery optimization isn't restricting it.

Going further with ScreenLux

If you want ready-made motion artwork rather than your own clips, ScreenLux is the app I built for Android 8.0 and up. It applies through the standard Android live wallpaper prompt described above. ScreenLux: live wallpapers for iPhone and 4K video wallpapers for Android. All artwork is created with generative AI tools.

ScreenLux is free to download and preview; subscription unlocks the full catalog and removes ads.

My team specializes in advanced generative AI art and video, and WatchLux and ScreenLux are where we apply it to the watch and the phone.

Android: ScreenLux on Google Play

Sean McCue, Founder, WatchLux and ScreenLux

How to Install Third-Party Watch Faces on a Galaxy Watch from Your Phone

WatchLux — Mon, 12 Oct 2026 14:32:25 +0000

Galaxy Watch models that run Wear OS (Galaxy Watch4 and later) can use watch faces from Google Play, not just the ones Samsung preinstalls. Browsing a store on a 40 mm screen is fiddly, though, so most people find it easier to do the shopping on their phone and let the watch handle the install. Here's how that works, step by step, using Samsung's own instructions.

Before you start

Your watch must be paired with your Android phone through the Galaxy Wearable app. Wear OS Galaxy watches are set up with an Android phone and aren't compatible with iPhone.
Keep both devices connected and nearby, with Bluetooth on and an internet connection on the phone.
Update your software. Samsung recommends keeping the Galaxy Wearable app and the phone's software current.
Check storage on the watch if you already have a lot of faces and apps installed.

Method 1: Start in the Galaxy Wearable app

Open Galaxy Wearable on your phone.
Tap Watch faces. You'll see the faces already on your watch; tap one to apply it.
To get new ones, scroll to the bottom and tap the options under Get more watch faces. This opens the watch face section of Google Play.
Pick a face and tap Install.
The face downloads and is sent to your watch. Samsung notes this can take a few minutes, and the status may sit on "Installing" for a while.

Method 2: Start in the Play Store on your phone

Open the Play Store on your phone and search for the watch face or app you want.
On listings marked Available on more devices, tap the arrow next to Install.
Select your watch (and the phone too, if the face has a companion app), then tap Install.

If a face only installs on the watch, that's normal. Many watch faces have no phone app at all.

Method 3: Install directly on the watch

If your phone isn't handy:

On the watch, open the Play Store.
Swipe to Browse watch faces (or search), pick a face, and tap Install.

Alternatively, touch and hold the current face to enter edit mode, swipe left to Add watch face, scroll to the bottom and tap More watch faces to jump into the Play Store.

Apply and customize the new face

Installing a face doesn't always make it active. To switch:

Touch and hold the watch face on the Home screen to enter edit mode.
Swipe left or right to find the new face, then tap it.
If you see Customize, tap it to change colors or complications. Press the Home key when you're done; the changes appear instantly.

You can also apply and customize from the phone: in Galaxy Wearable, tap Watch faces, choose the face, tap Customize, then Save.

Troubleshooting

The face never shows up on the watch. Confirm the watch still shows as connected in Galaxy Wearable, keep the devices close, and give it a few minutes. Reopening the Play Store listing and installing to the watch again usually clears a stalled transfer.
"This phone isn't compatible with this app." That message refers to an optional phone companion. The face itself can still install on the watch.
No Customize button. Not every face supports customization. That's a design choice of the face, not a fault.
Face app needs a newer Wear OS. Check your Wear OS version in the watch's Settings (under About watch) and install any available update.

Going further with WatchLux

If you'd like a large catalog of animated and video designs to install this way, WatchLux is one option I built. You browse on your phone, send a face to your watch, then switch to it with the touch-and-hold steps above. WatchLux has over 750 faces on both watchOS and Wear OS. All artwork is created with generative AI tools.

WatchLux is free to download and preview; subscription unlocks the full catalog and removes ads.

My team specializes in advanced generative AI art and video, and WatchLux and ScreenLux are where we apply it to the watch and the phone.

Android and Wear OS: WatchLux on Google Play

Sean McCue, Founder, WatchLux and ScreenLux

How to Set a Live Wallpaper on iPhone with Live Photos

WatchLux — Mon, 12 Oct 2026 14:24:04 +0000

Since iOS 17, iPhone supports Live Photos as a Lock Screen wallpaper again: the image plays briefly whenever you wake your phone. It's built in, it takes about a minute, and it's a nice way to put a favorite moment in motion. Here are Apple's steps, plus the reasons it sometimes doesn't animate.

What you need

An iPhone running iOS 17 or later.
A Live Photo in your library. Shooting one is easy: in the Camera app, make sure the Live Photo button is on before you take the picture.

Set a Live Photo as your Lock Screen wallpaper

Open Settings and tap Wallpaper.
Tap Add New Wallpaper.
Tap Photos.
Tap Live Photo to filter to your Live Photos.
Tap the Live Photo you want to use.
Customize it. Pinch to position the image, and make sure the play button is on so it plays when you wake your iPhone.
Tap Add.
Tap Set as Wallpaper Pair to use it on the Lock Screen and Home Screen, or tap Customize Home Screen to set a different Home Screen wallpaper.

Shortcut: touch and hold your Lock Screen to open the wallpaper gallery, then tap the add button to start a new wallpaper.

What moves and what doesn't

The Lock Screen plays the Live Photo when you wake the phone, then settles on the still frame.
The Home Screen shows a still image. That's expected behavior.

If your wallpaper won't animate

Check the play button. If it's off in the editor, the wallpaper is set as a still. Touch and hold the Lock Screen, tap Customize, choose the Lock Screen, and turn it on.
Turn off Low Power Mode. It can stop Live Photo playback.
Make sure it's really a Live Photo. Images saved from the web or screenshots are stills. In Photos, Live Photos show a LIVE badge.
Pick a different clip. Short, steady Live Photos with a clear subject tend to look best.

Try a Spatial Scene too

With iOS 26 on iPhone 12 or later, Apple can turn certain photos into 3D Spatial Scene wallpapers. Go to Settings > Wallpaper > Add New Wallpaper > Photos, scroll the top bar to Spatial Scene, and pick a photo. This adds depth as you move the phone, rather than playing a clip.

Set it from the Photos app instead

You can also start in Photos: open the Live Photo, tap the share button, scroll down and tap Use as Wallpaper, then tap Add and choose whether to use it as a wallpaper pair or customize the Home Screen separately. Check that the Live Photo play button is on before you tap Add, or it will be set as a still.

Tips for a good-looking Live wallpaper

Leave room for the clock. Position the subject so the time and widgets don't cover faces.
Keep it subtle. Gentle motion (water, hair, a wave) looks better than fast action.
Make a few. You can keep several Lock Screens and swipe between them in the wallpaper gallery.

Going further with ScreenLux

If you'd rather start from ready-made motion artwork than your own camera roll, ScreenLux is the app I built for that. You save a wallpaper as a Live Photo, then follow the same Settings steps above. ScreenLux: live wallpapers for iPhone and 4K video wallpapers for Android. All artwork is created with generative AI tools.

ScreenLux is free to download and preview; subscription unlocks the full catalog and removes ads.

My team specializes in advanced generative AI art and video, and WatchLux and ScreenLux are where we apply it to the watch and the phone.

iPhone: ScreenLux on the App Store

Sean McCue, Founder, WatchLux and ScreenLux

How to Change and Customize Watch Faces on Apple Watch and Wear OS (Galaxy Watch, Pixel Watch)

WatchLux — Mon, 12 Oct 2026 14:14:59 +0000

Your watch face is the screen you look at more than any other, yet a lot of people never change the one their watch shipped with. This guide walks through the built-in steps on Apple Watch and on Wear OS watches (Samsung Galaxy Watch and Google Pixel Watch), so you can switch faces, add new ones, and tune colors and complications in a couple of minutes.

Apple Watch (watchOS)

Switch to a face you already have

With the current watch face showing, touch and hold the display.
Swipe to the face you want, then tap it.

Tip: to swipe straight from one face to another, open Settings > Clock on the watch and turn on Swipe to Switch Watch Face.

Add a new face on the watch

Touch and hold the current face.
Swipe left all the way to the end and tap the Add (+) button.
Tap a collection, such as New Watch Faces or Data Rich, or scroll down and tap All Watch Faces.
Tap Get next to the face you want, then tap Add.

Customize colors, styles, and complications

Touch and hold the face, then tap Edit.
Swipe left or right between the edit screens (for example Style, Color, or Dial, depending on the face) and turn the Digital Crown to change the selected option.
For complications, swipe left all the way to the end; if the face offers them, they're on the last screen. Tap a complication, then turn the Digital Crown to choose a new one.
Press the Digital Crown to save your changes, then tap the face to switch to it.

Do it from your iPhone

Open the Apple Watch app on your paired iPhone:

Face Gallery: tap a category (or scroll down and tap See All Watch Faces), tap Get on a face, then tap an option. Tap features such as color or style, tap a complication position to choose a complication, then tap Add to Watch. The face joins your collection and becomes your current face.
My Watch, under My Faces: swipe through your collection. Tap Edit in My Faces to reorder faces or remove ones you don't want.

Tip: removing a face from your collection doesn't delete it for good. You can add it back from the Face Gallery at any time.

Wear OS: Galaxy Watch

Switch faces on the watch

From the Home screen, touch and hold the watch face to enter edit mode.
Swipe left or right to see your faces.
Tap a face to apply it.

Add a new face

On the watch: in edit mode, swipe to Add watch face and choose one. Scroll to the bottom and tap More watch faces to open the Play Store.
From the Play Store on the watch: open Play Store, tap Browse watch faces, pick one, and tap Install.
From your phone: open the Galaxy Wearable app and go to Watch faces (or the store section) to browse and install.

Customize a face

Touch and hold the face, then tap Customize (not every face can be customized; if it can, you'll see the option).
Change things like background or hand color, and tap complication slots to change what they display.
Press the Home (Power) key or tap OK to finish. Changes show up right away.

From the phone: in Galaxy Wearable, tap Watch faces, select a face, tap Customize, then Save.

Wear OS: Pixel Watch

Switch or edit faces on the watch

Touch and hold the watch face.
Swipe left or right to browse the faces on your watch.
Tap a face to use it, or tap Edit to change its colors and complications first. In edit mode, swipe to move between styles and complication layouts.

Add a new face

Touch and hold the face, swipe to the end, and tap Add new to pick from the gallery. Newer Pixel Watch software also offers options such as a Photos face from your Google Photos library.

Use the Pixel Watch app

On your phone, open the Pixel Watch app and tap Watch faces. Swipe through them, then tap Use on watch, or Edit to change colors and complications before applying.

Quick troubleshooting

A newly installed face doesn't appear: make sure the watch is connected to the phone and nearby, then check the face list again. Updating the watch's apps often helps.
No Customize or Edit option: that particular face has no adjustable settings. Pick a different one.
Face list is cluttered: remove the ones you never use (on Apple Watch, touch and hold, swipe to the face, swipe up, and tap Remove, or use Edit in My Faces in the iPhone Apple Watch app; on Wear OS, use edit mode) so switching is quicker.
Check your Wear OS version: on the watch, open Settings > About (or System). Some third-party face apps require a minimum version.

Going further with WatchLux

The built-in faces cover most needs, but if you want something more expressive, I built WatchLux for exactly that. It has over 750 faces on both watchOS and Wear OS, including animated and video designs. All artwork is created with generative AI tools.

WatchLux is free to download and preview; subscription unlocks the full catalog and removes ads.

The flow is simple: browse in the phone app, pick a face, send it to your watch, and then switch to it with the same touch-and-hold steps described above.

My team specializes in advanced generative AI art and video, and WatchLux and ScreenLux are where we apply it to the watch and the phone.

iPhone and Apple Watch: WatchLux on the App Store
Android and Wear OS: WatchLux on Google Play

Whichever route you take, built-in or third-party, a five-minute pass through edit mode is the easiest upgrade your watch will get this year.

Sean McCue, Founder, WatchLux and ScreenLux