Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has announced that WhatsApp is officially rolling out a standalone app for smartwatches running Wear OS. The only caveat is that you’ll need to have a watch equipped with Wear OS 3 but aside from that, all users can now download and install the app.
The smartwatch app allows users to start conversations, reply to messages, and even take calls from their wrists. They can respond using several mediums, including voice messages, emojis, regular text, and quick replies. Of course, those with a cellular-equipped watch can also use it without needing to bring their smartphone along.
This is quite a fast turnaround given that the Wear OS app was announced just two months ago during Google’s I/O conference. At the time, the native smartwatch app was released as a beta version and was expected to have a wider rollout not long after.
Notably, Apple Watch’s WatchOS still lacks an official app from the messaging platform, giving Wear OS devices an edge on this front. The timing of the rollout may not be by chance as we’re a week away from Samsung’s Unpacked event, which is expected to unveil the new Galaxy Watch 6 series.
(Source: Meta Press Release)
