WhatsApp is now officially available for Wear OS smartwatches. Previously there was a beta version for a few months, but now the stable final build is ready. A Wear OS 3 smartwatch is required for installation and use. The WhatsApp app can then start new chats, reply to messages with text, send voice messages and emojis, and take calls from your wrist.
There is also support for quick replies. Anyone who uses a Wear OS 3 smartwatch with their own mobile data connection via an eSIM can use it without a smartphone being nearby and connected to the watch.
The timing of the new WhatsApp update is well chosen – next week the big Samsung Unpacked event will take place where we will see the premiere of the new Galaxy Watch6 and Galaxy Watch6 Classic. It will also introduce the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5, Galaxy Z Flip5 and the Galaxy Tab S9 series. There’s a good chance Samsung’s new smartwatches will be the first to run Wear OS 4. Just like the Galaxy Watch4 was the first smartwatch to run Wear OS 3.
The Wear OS app aims to make Google’s smartwatch operating system more attractive to the 2.24 billion active WhatsApp users. At the same time, Meta can expand its wearable integration, especially after the company ditched its own smartwatch ambitions last year. Also, Google announced back in May that Spotify will be releasing new Tiles for its Wear OS app this year. Hopefully other third-party providers will soon follow suit with their own apps.
