Android’s Calling Cards could be coming soon to Wear OS

Calling Cards on Android took inspiration from iOS’ Contact Posters, though there are some significant differences. For one, users currently cannot set their own Calling Cards, though Google is working to solve this big complaint. Another oversight is that Calling Cards are not supported on Wear OS, so users get the standard Wear OS call screen even if they have set up Calling Cards on their phone. We’ve now spotted clues that indicate Google is working to bring Calling Cards support to Wear OS.

Calling Cards can be used to personalize calling screens with a full-screen image. When you receive a call from people whose Calling Cards you’ve set up, you’re greeted with a visually immersive, customized screen rather than a generic, bland incoming call screen.

Currently, Calling Cards work only on Android phones. On your Wear OS smartwatch, you will not see these Calling Cards. Instead, you will see the standard Wear OS calling screen.

If you have a profile picture set for the contact (different from a Calling Card), this is what the standard Wear OS incoming call screen looks like:

In the latest Phone by Google v210.0.870571680 beta, we’ve spotted clues that indicate Google is working to bring these full-screen call backgrounds to Wear OS.

These strings point towards sending and syncing Calling Card data to the paired Wear OS smartwatch. This would potentially let users see the same Calling Card images from their phone directly on their Wear OS smartwatch.

We’ve seen code that suggests only the call background (i.e., the full-screen image) would be synced to Wear OS, not the custom font style or color. This makes sense, as the smaller screen on smartwatches can make legibility challenging. However, we’ll have to wait for more clues or for the feature to roll out to get a better idea of the final implementation. We’ll keep you updated when we learn more.