Note: Wear OS 5 and Below - New Installs of Facer from Google Play Not Available (Google Play Policy)
This article will help you understand the options you have to get Facer if you find yourself in this situation where your Wear OS watch doesn’t seem to show or help you install Facer in the on-watch Google Play Store.
What Changed?
Due to recent Google Play policy changes affecting Wear OS watch faces, Facer can no longer be downloaded or reinstalled from Google Play on devices running Wear OS 5 or earlier.
Google announced updates to how watch face apps must be distributed on Wear OS in 2025 and set a date of January 2026 for the changes to fully go into effect. As a result, apps that previously worked on earlier versions of Wear OS are no longer available for installation on those older versions of Wear OS.
You can read Google’s announcement here.
Important: If You Already Have Facer Installed on your watch!
Good news — if Facer is already installed on your Wear OS 5 (or earlier) watch, it will continue to work as it has.
You do NOT need to take any action to keep using Facer on your watch. Just make sure you do not accidentally uninstall Facer on your watch (i.e. in an attempt to free space or via watch reset where watch apps get uninstalled when you reset your watch and need to be reinstalled so be careful!).
You can find more details on this in our other help article here.
What If Facer was Uninstalled (accidentally or via watch reset)?
If you uninstall Facer on a Wear OS 5 (or earlier) device, you will not be able to reinstall it from Google Play.
Note: You might unintentionally uninstall Facer on your watch because you change your phone and need to reset your watch to pair with the new phone. Or you have an issue with your watch and need to reset it to get it working properly again with your phone. Several situations will lead to not having Facer on your watch any more.
In that case, see the options below.
Here are 2 options to getting Facer
The two options below are how you can get Facer on your watch today if you currently have a WearOS watch running Wear OS 5 or earlier and do not have Facer already installed on the watch.
Option 1 (Recommended): Update to Wear OS 6
The best solution is to check whether your watch can be updated to Wear OS 6. Most watches launched in the past several years now have the Wear OS 6 update available so it might just be a matter of updating your watch! A few watches are still slated to get the update in 2026 as well and you can check with your manufacturer on release timing for those.
Once updated to Wear OS 6:
- You can reinstall Facer from Google Play on your watch.
- Check out more details on the experience here.
How to Check for Updates
- On your watch, open Settings
- Go to System
- Tap About
- Tap System updates
- Install any available updates
If Wear OS 6 is available, we strongly recommend updating.
What If Wear OS 6 Is Not Available?
Some older watches may not receive the Wear OS 6 update.
If your manufacturer has indicated that your device will remain on Wear OS 5 (or earlier), you have one other option:
Option 2: Consider an Upgrade!
If your device will not receive Wear OS 6, you may want to consider upgrading to a newer Wear OS watch that supports Wear OS 6.
This ensures:
- Continued Google Play availability
- In-app purchasing support
- Ongoing compatibility
- Future updates with automatic updates (when enabled)
Check out a list of newer devices we recommend here.
We Understand This Is Frustrating
These changes are the result of Google Play platform policy updates and are outside of Facer’s control.
We’re committed to providing the best possible experience across supported devices and will continue supporting Wear OS 6 and newer versions.
If you need help checking your OS version, purchasing via facer.io, or sideloading the legacy app, please contact our support team.