Google has issued a warning regarding its latest smartwatch operating system, Wear OS 5.0, revealed at the I/O conference in May. The new system will not include built-in support for older watch faces designed for previous versions of Wear OS.

For those eyeing Samsung’s newly unveiled Galaxy Watch 7 series, which comes equipped with Wear OS 5.0 from the get-go, this news may come as a disappointment. If you have a favorite classic watch face on your Samsung Galaxy device, you may not be able to install it on the Watch 7. Instead, you will need to select a new watch face until the developer updates it.

The lack of Wear OS 5.0 support specifically pertains to watch screen content that does not adhere to the new Watch Face Format (WFF) introduced by Google last year. This XML-based platform simplifies the creation and maintenance of watch faces across different Wear OS iterations.

Google explains that for new watches running Wear OS 5, users will only have access to watch faces that meet specific performance and quality standards. Consequently, certain watch faces may no longer be available for download on the Google Play Store.

While existing smartwatch users can continue using current watch faces designed for Wear OS 2 and newer devices, this may change when upgrading to a device with Wear OS 5. Some watch faces may become inaccessible on the new device, even if they were compatible with the previous one.

If you plan to transfer settings and content from an older smartwatch to a new model like the Galaxy Watch 7 or Watch 7 Ultra, be aware that incompatible layouts may not be restored due to Google’s current Watch Face Format requirements.

As developers continue adapting their watch faces to meet these standards, users should prepare for potential changes in screen layouts when transitioning to devices running Wear OS 5. Stay informed about these updates and be ready to embrace new screen designs as needed.