Google wants you to try these 5 features on your next Galaxy Watch4
Techies will be intrigued by Wear OS 3 which Google calls their unified platform that blends together the best of Google’s earlier Wear OS version with Samsung’s Tizen equivalent. Put that significantly new software onto some significantly improved hardware and, well, you can hope for a significantly better experience and you should see: a 2.5x shorter set up experience; up to 40 hours of battery life; optimized performance with app launch times 30% faster than before; and access to Google’s huge ecosystem of apps and services.
Apps from the Google app store cater for many varied and precise needs that range from the quirky to the key. But the basic, broad-brush services that come pre-packed with Google’s Wear OS 3 are Google Maps, Google Pay, Messages by Google, YouTube Music; and new Tiles, which are quick-look customisable screens…a bit like a secondary watch face.
Buy Now: Samsung Galaxy Watch4 on Amazon
Must Read: Detailed Samsung Galaxy Watch Review
Google Maps: Navigate on your wrist
The Google Maps app on Wear OS will get you to your destination by walking, cycling or driving. Turn-by-turn directions are sent from phone to watch and the watch app also syncs with Google Maps on your phone. If you’ve been using the excellent Google Maps on your smartphone and for navigating in your car (I have and it’s WAY better than Apple) you will be excited by having similar features on your wrist.
Messages by Google: Stay Connected In Many Ways
The refreshed Messages by the Google app lets you receive messages on the go and easily reply directly from your watch without a phone (LTE required). The Messages app on your watch syncs with your phone, so your conversations stay up to date. This should be on theWatch4 at launch in the USA & Korea with Europe following later.
Google Pay: Inclusive Watch Payments
If you are in a supported country, and there are LOTS of supported countries, then Google Pay rivals Apple Pay in many respects. It’s not quite as easy to set up as on Apple’s iPhones but that’s a one-off task and bother are equally easy to use on an ongoing basis. One of the great benefits that Apple and Google have over the likes of Garmin are they support generic card services, thus Apple and Google typically support VISA, AMEX, MASTERCARD etc, whereas Garmin has to support your specific bank….ouch!
YouTube Music: It’s not Play Music Anymore
Google closed its Play Music service down and told customers like me to migrate everything to the new YouTube music. Fine. Except there was then no Wear OS app to play that music. #Sigh. To add insult to injury, Google bizarrely releases an Apple Watch version of Youtube Music before their own Wear OS version. Anyway, now YouTube Music Premium subscribers can enjoy 80 million songs and thousands of playlists on the new YouTube Music app on Wear OS. This is a standalone app and is the first smartwatch app from YouTube Music that allows YouTube Music Premium subscribers to download music for ad-free offline listening, even without your phone nearby. The app also comes with the Smart Downloads feature, which refreshes the songs you’ve downloaded to your watch whenever it’s charging and connected to WiFi.
Google Play apps and Tiles
There are some exciting new experiences from popular apps including Calm, Komoot, MyFitnessPal, Period Tracker, Sleep Cycle, Spotify, Strava and more.
Many of these apps will also launch new third-party Tiles, so there’s a quick way to access the information and actions you care about most.
A word of warning…this won’t work on an Apple iPhone.
Samsung Galaxy Watch4 Pricing
Buy Now: Samsung Galaxy Watch4 on Amazon
Galaxy Watch4 – a modern, minimalist option designed for versatile all-day use, available in Black, Silver and Pink Gold (40mm) and Black, Silver and Green (44mm).
- 40mm (Bluetooth): £249
- 40mm (4G): £289
- 44mm (Bluetooth): £269
- 44mm (4G): £309
Galaxy Watch4 Classic
A premium, smartwatch with a rotating bezel, available in Black and Silver.
- 42mm (Bluetooth): £349
- 42mm (4G): £389
- 46mm (Bluetooth): £369
- 46mm (4G): £406
Buy Now: Samsung Galaxy Watch4 on Amazon
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Google maps on WearOS devices through phone’s bluetooth connection – this is nothing new – any word on standalone navigation for LTE models?
there is some mention of that, although it depends what you mean by ‘navigation’. it means different things to different people.
i dont have a device yet to test
By navigation I mean getting turn by turn directions to an address or a point chosen in goigle maps with the device itself (watch). With my old huawei watch 2 lte (WearOS 2) I could only get directions while connected to my phone over BT, even when the watch had its own lte connection active.
got it.
that would be somewhere close to my definition too.
I just preordered the Fold 3 (at the cost of trading in my Note20 ultra 5g and the Galaxy active watch I bought for my wife years ago). The sport classic of this is interesting to me. the Onboard sensor array has my interest, but I can’t find for the life of me if you can pair external sensors for tracked activities. Don’t want to leave behind a chest strap, Stryd, Power meter, etc…for an ecosystem device that may fill my needs in other ways.
I know Garmin is about to announce new stuff, and Coros is announcing some new hardware in 8/17 (So says the email I got from them). Just holding out for more info I guess.
Never mind, I rescind my interest. 40hr battery life, that’s basically daily charging.
yes, basically daily charging++
sensor pairing will be down to the app rather than the watch. at most the Watch4 will pair to a chest strap.
What Garmin will be releasing ?
Ia there any info regarding Stryd integration?
not recently.
I spoke with stryd about stryd+wearOS some time ago and it was way down on their list of priorities for direct support with a stryd-made WearOS app. As I think you know there are 3rd party apps like sportygo that run on wearos and support stryd
i’m due to speak with stryd at some point in the next month or so , so i will try to remember to ask