After 2 months of waiting, Meta has officially released a standalone WhatsApp app for Wear OS that will allow users to manage conversations and also reply to messages with either their voice, emojis or simply type the replies directly. The new WhatsApp app started rolling out 2 days ago and owners of watches running on Wear OS 3.0 and above can now download the app directly from the Google Playstore app on their watch.
If you recall, Google at their IO event in May announced the release of WhatsApp for the Wear OS platform. However, the app was only available to beta testers who were required to also have a beta version of WhatsApp installed on their phone. Well, the long wait is over, users can now install WhatsApp on their Galaxy Watch, Pixel Watch and other Wear OS watches without having to be a beta tester for the app.
The newly launched WhatsApp app will work on watches running on Wear OS 3 and above. This includes Galaxy Watch 4 and 5, Google Pixel Watch, Ticwatch Pro 5 and more.
The addition of WhatsApp to the Wear OS increases the app ecosystem of the platform and solidifies it as one of the best wearable operating systems. Though WatchOS by Apple despite not having a standalone WhatsApp still dominates the smartwatch market with numerous Apple Watches.
Nonetheless, the Wear OS platform has become very popular after the merger with Samsung which has seen more manufacturers join the platform.
How to Download WhatsApp on Galaxy Watch 5, Pixel Watch and Ticwatch Pro 5
To Download the WhatsApp app on your Galaxy Watch 4 and 5 or other wear OS Watch, simply open the Playstore app on your Watch, use the search bar to search for the WhatsApp app and install it.
The app will be downloaded to your Watch. Once successful, you will need to link it to the WhatsApp app installed on your phone. Open the WhatsApp app on your watch and enter the cold shown on the screen to link it to your phone. Once successfully linked, your chats will load up on the watch.
The WhatsApp app will allow you to manage your conversations as well as receive and reply to messages totally independent of your phone.
Unfortunately as of the time of filling this report, there is still no way to start a conversation from the WhatsApp app on the watch just like you would on your phone. Hopefully, this would be added in the future as it is a critical aspect of the app.