TL;DR: Use android.support.v4.app notification mechanism. Steps are: * Create a WearableExtender: NotificationCompat.WearableExtender wearableExtender = new NotificationCompat.WearableExtender() .setHintShowBackgroundOnly(true) .setHintHideIcon(true) .setContentIcon(R.mipmap.ic_launcher); * Extend the notification mechanism: NotificationCompat.Builder mBuilder = new NotificationCompat.Builder(this) .setContentTitle(titl