Android Wear brightness settings

Making your Android Wear screen as bright (or dim) as you like is easy

Much has been written about how bright (or dim) the screens on both the LG G Watch and Samsung Gear Live are. It seems like most people wish they were brighter while outside on a sunny summer day, and most people also think things are pretty blindingly bright in the dark. Both are true, and I'm in both camps. Things get even more fun when you add the fact that the two currently available Android Wear devices don't have any method to control brightness automagically.

Luckily, screen brightness is dead simple to change.

Android Wear brightness settings

You'll find the screen brightness setting at the top of the Settings menu. To get there and make some changes:

  • Tap the screen on your watch op open the menu
  • Swipe towards the bottom and tap on "Settings"
  • Tap the "Adjust brightness" list item at the top
  • Choose your brightness setting

Inside the brightness adjustment menu, the higher the number the brighter the screen. The highest number — "5" for the Gear Live and "6" for the G Watch is the highest setting. Conversely, a setting of "1" is the lowest.

Protip: The Gear Live has a physical button on the side, that when long-pressed will open the settings to where you were when you last used them. Set your brightness, then swipe the card away. This way, a long press on the button takes you right to the brightness adjustment.

If you have a lot of notifications coming in on your wrist, a lower setting will also save a bit of battery, though not too awful much. Either way, being able to easily set your screen brightness is something most of us will appreciate.