What’s new for Wear OS users?
Google Messages on Android phones already lets you react to messages with emojis and Photomojis, and you can mark messages as read directly from the notification shade. The Wear OS app has lagged behind—showing reactions but not letting you add them, and lacking a “Mark as read” button.
Emoji reactions on the watch
Recent builds of the Wear OS Messages app include a new MessageReactionsActivity. This activity enables users to tap an emoji and attach it to a conversation straight from their smartwatch, mirroring the phone experience.
Mark‑as‑Read from notifications
Strings such as enable_mark_as_read_on_wear_notification have been spotted in the app’s resources, indicating an upcoming “Mark as read” action in the notification panel. When rolled out, it will let you clear unwanted messages without pulling out your phone.
Why it matters
- Improved parity between phone and watch messaging experiences.
- Faster triage of conversations while on the go.
- Reduced notification clutter on both devices.
Keep an eye on upcoming Wear OS updates for the final rollout of these features.