The fastest way to create AOD is to duplicate the normal watchface folder and set it to AOD, then modify its components as needed.
For some reasons, duplicated complications are linked to their originals in the normal watchface folder. When you select either one, both are automatically selected. Same with delete, if you delete one, both are deleted.
From what I can tell, complications are the only ones behave this way. Is it a bug?
With the duplication method, the complication behaves oddly. For example, Short Text Component with Editable setting. Change from Step Counts to Weather in customize mode no longer work in normal mode, it would still display Step Count even after changed to Weather. But when it goes into AOD, it displays Weather and back to step counts when in the normal mode.
Find another bug while trying to fix the issue.
Copy the complication
Delete the complication, which delete both original and duplicated one.
Paste the complication.
Move pasted complication into the normal watch face folder. this step causes WFS to go blank. Everything goes away, leaving nothing but a blank space, no UI or anything. Only way out is to force quit it from Task Manager.
I rebuilt AOD from scratch, instead of duplicate it from normal watchface components. Short Text Complication still behaves oddly as mentioned above.
Everything works fine after I delete it from AOD, keeping only one in normal mode. That confirms you can’t have two identical short text complication. So that means if you use short text complication for step counts, then you can’t use it again in the AOD mode. Please fix it.
How are you seeing this running on the watch or on the preview. I made Short Text Copy changed to AOD pasted it in. Hid the original in AOD and hid the copy in normal and it all seems to work right in the preview run window.
I was wrong on this,
Adding two complications in same location is an operation that should not be done because it causes unintended problems in platform linkage operation (such as How does it work in watch face customizing screen?)
WFS is intentionally designed to share the same object in normal and AOD mode for optimization. It is different from GWS where no components were shared between AOD and Active mode.
If you want to design normal screen and AOD similarly, please use one set of objects, not duplicating.
The WFS team is looking at a way to prohibit the duplications in the future to avoid this confusion.
Suppose you have a editable complication set for Battery level and the user changes it to Sunrise Sunset. If a separate complication was in the same position in the AOD mode it would confuse the user because it would not show the users customization when in AOD mode.
From my experience, you can’t do it as two complications with the same functions for each mode will confuse Wear OS. If there are two editable complications, Wear OS will not change user’s data choice (Sunrise Sunset in your example) on the normal mode. But Sunrise and Sunset will be displayed in AOD mode. So, whatever choice the user made will be only be displayed in AOD mode. This result is from creating two editable short text complications separately, not from duplication.
I revamped AOD without any preparation, rather than copy it from ordinary watchface parts. Short Text Complication actually acts strangely as referenced previously.
Everything turns out great after I erase it from AOD, keeping just one in typical mode. That affirms you can’t have two indistinguishable short text confusion. So that implies assuming you utilize short text confusion for step counts, you can’t utilize it again in the AOD mode. Kindly fix it.
