Here are some of the best Wear OS apps, the lifeline of Google’s hopes of taking over the current front-runner, the Apple Watch.
Apple Watch has been a dominating force in Wearables devices till now. It has been dwarfing the efforts of other premium players like Samsung and Google combined. So a partnership was imminent to take over the champion.
This came to fruition in 2021, when Google and Samsung joined their forces for building the ultimate wearable operating system to pass it along to other brands, and finally dethrone Apple’s WatchOS.
That’s straightaway Google trying to do Android, this time for wrist-mounted devices.
Best Wear OS Apps
Any operating system largely depends on the supported apps for widespread adoption.
And that’s precisely why we are here, to tell you about the best WearOS apps for your smartwatch.
Let’s get started.
G Pay
G Pay is an excellent way to pay online, in physical stores, and in Google Play Store applications. You can add credit or debit cards, and use a PayPal account.
This gets a lot more comfortable with the NFC-enabled watches. Just hold it close to the terminal to pay in the quickest possible way.
In addition, G Pay assures you of top-notch data security and is a must-have Wear OS app for an effortless shopping experience.
Camera One
Camera One makes sure you won’t miss smartphones as far as photos and videos are concerned. It supports gestures such as twisting your wrist to take photos/videos. This can work standalone on your smartwatch, meaning you don’t need to connect it to your phone.
In addition to taking images and recording videos, you can also use Camera One for audio recording. It comes with many useful functions such as zoom, flash, time-lapse, etc.
Camera One has a trial period in which you can enjoy all the premium features. However, you can also stay with the free version if core features are all you need.
Strava
Strava for Wear OS brings much-needed mobility to one of the most popular applications among athletes.
Once configured with your smartphone, you can use that for outdoor walks, runs, rides, bikes, and many other features based on your watch. Arguably, it’s the community features that keep you motivated and competitive.
However, as Strava is a freemium app, some features may be restricted to paid users.
Facer Watch Faces
Facer Watch Faces is for people loving customizations.
As of this writing, this app has over 100k free and premium watch faces from renowned global brands and artists.
However, you can just design your own at www.facer.io/creator and publish it. There are plenty of drag-and-drop options to get started. For instance, you can import images, customize fonts, add various time layouts to complete your custom design within minutes.
Finally, this is compatible with every Wear OS device and also works perfectly with Samsung watches.
Google Maps
This one is a no-brainer. Google Maps easily makes into the best Wear OS apps for venturing into unknown locations if you hate looking at the smartphone on every corner.
Google Maps on the smartwatch functions with the help of Google Assistant. You need to tell your watch about the destination to fetch some results. Finally, you can pick the one to start navigating.
IFTTT
IFTTT is a productivity and automation application that can simplify everyday monotonous tasks. You can find several workflows or create your own.
Each workflow uses some applets, the elements which connect different applications.
For instance, you can set a workflow to get notified on your smartwatch every time your smartphone battery dries up. Or get a notification whenever the international space station passes over your home.
Similarly, you can also connect smart home elements to control the appliances right from your smartwatch.
Wear Audio Recorder
Wear Audio Recorder is a powerful recording tool for smartphones and smartwatches. You get noteworthy features like sound quality optimization, cloud upload, adding photos to recordings, echo suppression, skip silence, etc.
It can also work in the background, replacing the notification icon to further improve the stealth features.
This is a freemium application with the most advanced features dedicated to Wear OS.
Phone & Watch Battery Monitor
Next in the line of best Wear OS apps is Battery Monitor.
This battery monitor gives warnings and predictions about the dying battery throughout the day.
In addition, the developer promises to have minimum impact on the battery. Besides, you will be intimated about the draining and charging rates. Finally, it helps to remotely monitor the connected devices and stay informed of any possible downtime.
But you should remember to keep both the smartphone and smartwatch apps updated to ensure accurate reporting.
Compass
Compass will come in handy for exploring uncharted territories where online maps just die out.
You can check out your current coordinates and differentiate between the true and magnetic north.
Developer Warning: Please wave your device around several times in a figure of eight (∞) to calibrate it!
In addition, you can enter the destination coordinates and start traveling by checking the distance. A decreasing distance obviously means the right trajectory. This may be approximate at best, but the only available option in an unmapped, deserted location.
Finally, it’s definitely one of the best Wear OS apps for adventurous people.
Multi Calculator
It may sound odd to install a calculator on a smartwatch, but it can be worth it.
The Multi calculator is a fully-fledged application for smartphones. However, its support for Wear OS is currently limited to the standard calculators and currency converters.
But practically, complicated features won’t be really useful for the small real estate of a smartwatch. Ergo, the application is spot-on for limiting the smartwatch application to the basic functions.
Conclusion
This was our roundup of some of the best Wear OS apps. Indeed, wristwatches have come a long way, and Wear OS now has something serious to present to its takers.
But it wouldn’t be wrong to say that the smart wrist devices were originally meant for fitness enthusiasts. And if you’re one, check these smart health trackers to keep your fitness levels at the peak.