{"id":270113,"date":"2025-07-17T19:37:30","date_gmt":"2025-07-17T19:37:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/270113\/"},"modified":"2025-07-17T19:37:30","modified_gmt":"2025-07-17T19:37:30","slug":"why-googles-smartwatch-os-deserves-more-attention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/270113\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Google’s smartwatch OS deserves more attention"},"content":{"rendered":"

Although some of my relatives and friends swear by the Apple Watch and how much further ahead it is from Wear OS watches<\/a>, I don’t entirely agree, as it isn’t always a one-size-fits-all situation.<\/p>\n

If you’re like me and have made yourself comfortably at home within the Android ecosystem, then there’s no reason to switch. Wear OS boasts a plethora of features that make it a solid choice for a great everyday-use smartwatch<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Here are some of my favorite underrated features that I absolutely love, which keep me truly believing in Google’s smartwatch OS.<\/p>\n

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Related<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t6 reasons I refuse to buy a smartwatch without Wear OS
\n\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

It’s Wear OS or nothing for me<\/p>\n

The Wear OS flashlight tile comes in handy<\/p>\n

My favorite, least flashy feature<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

This might be the least flashy feature that I’ll mention, but I cannot live without a flashlight.<\/p>\n

I use the Wear OS flashlight tile and app when looking for light switches and items that have rolled underneath my couch (my dog’s favorite hiding spot). It’s also been handy when I need to go outside briefly to turn off my pool pump.<\/p>\n

A small flashlight is convenient, and sometimes we don’t always carry our phone with us during those times. That’s why I love the flashlight (or torchlight feature) built into Wear OS; even if it isn’t as powerful as a real one, it still does the job that I need it to do.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tCase size<\/strong> \t\t\t\t\t<\/dt>\n
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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t40mm<\/p>\n<\/dd>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\tCase Material<\/strong> \t\t\t\t\t<\/dt>\n
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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAluminum<\/p>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n

The Galaxy Watch FE brings Samsung’s popular Fan Edition variant to its smartwatch line for the first time, offering a hardware package that focuses on what matters most in an effort to reduce frivolous costs. The result is a stylish timepiece that looks like the Galaxy Watch 6 for two-thirds of the asking price.<\/p>\n

It works similarly to your phone. You can use the quick settings tile and tap the flashlight tile to turn it on or launch it as a specific app.<\/p>\n

It might be a silly feature to outline, but the add-on has proved more helpful than not. My only complaint is that we can’t customize the quick settings panel to place the tile where we’d like it. Hopefully, Wear OS 6 might address it.<\/p>\n

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\"A<\/p>\n

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Related<\/p>\n

\t\t
\n\t\t\t8 missing features we want to see included in the Wear OS 6 release
\n\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

These features could make Google’s next release highly impactful<\/p>\n

Syncing messages between your watch and phone<\/p>\n

Stay in touch without needing your phone<\/p>\n

\"Selected<\/p>\n

Americans spend, on average, 5 hours and 16 minutes per day on their phones<\/a>. A way to lessen that is to use your other devices more (for essential features).<\/p>\n

Wear OS lets you sync and manage your messages after you’ve connected your phone to the smartwatch. So, every time you receive a text message<\/a>, your watch will display it.<\/p>\n

And if you want to save time (like me), you can reply to those messages directly on your smartwatch. This feature may not alleviate the screen time issue<\/a> with smart devices entirely.<\/p>\n

However, it does a good job of helping you distance yourself from your phone (by reducing your desire to check it and preventing you from becoming overly distracted by other notifications and apps).<\/p>\n

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Related<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\tI slashed my screen time by changing these underrated Android settings
\n\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

Grayscale habits for a brighter life\n<\/p>\n

I’ve personally only dealt with this feature on the Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 6, but neither watch seemed to have issues with messaging syncing, even with the implementation of RCS in Google Messages.<\/p>\n

Messages are not delayed and remain easily accessible. Plus, being able to reply to your messages using voice is great to do while you’re on the go (as I tend to put my phone away in a bag or pocket).<\/p>\n

Wear OS is flexible for health and fitness tracking<\/p>\n

The app-rich ecosystem continues to impress me<\/p>\n

\"Currency<\/p>\n

My workout regimen is boring. I mainly focus on light cardio (mostly walking). As a result, I don’t need to know everything about my workouts, so dedicated fitness trackers just wouldn’t be something I necessarily need.<\/p>\n

Previously, my preferred brand for fitness tracking was Fitbit, but since I stopped using it, I don’t feel like I’m missing out on essential features from the basic app compared to what’s offered with Wear OS.<\/p>\n

When Wear OS 5 was released<\/a>, it also noticeably improved battery consumption for runners.<\/p>\n

One issue with Wear OS watches has been the inconvenient battery drain<\/a>, especially when paired with GPS and constant transmission of data (especially for heart tracking) with the built-in sensors.<\/p>\n

\"Google<\/p>\n

\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\tCase size<\/strong> \t\t\t\t\t<\/dt>\n
\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t41mm; 45mm<\/p>\n<\/dd>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\tCase Material<\/strong> \t\t\t\t\t<\/dt>\n
\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAluminum<\/p>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n

The Pixel Watch 3 is bigger, brighter, smarter, and more full-featured.<\/p>\n

Wear OS 5 optimized these processes, making it a much smoother experience than its predecessors.<\/p>\n

Outside of general app usage for fitness tracking, what’s more interesting is the sleep-tracking feature. I don’t necessarily do this myself, but my mom is a big advocate of it. She wears her Galaxy Watch 6 to bed every night and keeps a record of her sleep patterns.<\/p>\n

Sometimes, the sleep tracking accuracy is off because awkward pauses in the middle of the night (like bathroom breaks) disrupt the tracking.<\/p>\n

However, the beauty of measuring your sleep health with Wear OS lies in its compatibility with other apps<\/a>. If you’re not satisfied with one companion app, you can try out multiple options to find the one that best suits your sleep habits<\/a>.<\/p>\n

When it comes to apps, I like the freedom of choice, which is one of Wear OS’ most significant strengths.<\/p>\n

Wear OS is still great for everyday use<\/p>\n

You can make it more than a flashy wrist accessory<\/p>\n

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While Wear OS has significant advantages as the primary Android OS for many smartwatches, and it plays nicely with Google (setting it up is easy if you already own a Google account and an Android phone) \u2014 there are still other reasons why I’d keep recommending it for everyday use.<\/p>\n

You can use your smartwatch to check weather updates, review your calendar or schedule, and even use it to make contactless payments with Google Pay\/Google Wallet.<\/p>\n

Plus, depending on the smartwatch brand you purchase, you can change out your bands to match a specific style or look that you’re going for (smartwatches can be fashionable if you want them to be).<\/p>\n

It’s nice to get all these core features without needing to keep your phone on hand, especially if you’re like me, who tend to buy phones that are much bigger for your hands.<\/p>\n

Wear OS is about to become Gemini-favored<\/p>\n

The Galaxy Watch 8 series will also support Gemini, offering a more hands-free experience with natural voice commands to help you get things done.<\/p>\n

It is said to work with Galaxy Watch apps, such as Samsung Health, Calendar, Clock, and Reminder.<\/p>\n

If you’re already on board with Gemini as your main AI assistant, you’re in for a good treat. The Gemini update will be gradually rolled out<\/a> to smartwatches supporting Wear OS 4.0 and above.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Although some of my relatives and friends swear by the Apple Watch and how much further ahead it…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":270114,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3160],"tags":[1685,53,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-270113","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-gadgets","8":"tag-gadgets","9":"tag-technology","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114870265350526550","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/270113","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=270113"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/270113\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/270114"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=270113"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=270113"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=270113"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}