Image credit : Meta
Following its initial tease at Google I/O, Meta has now officially announced the rollout of WhatsApp on Wear OS smartwatches, commencing today for users with a Wear OS 3 smartwatch.
The application itself is straightforward, offering users the ability to initiate new conversations, respond to messages, and even handle calls directly from their wrist. The features include voice messages, emojis, regular text, and quick replies. Moreover, for those with LTE-capable Wear OS 3 watches, they can respond to messages without requiring their phone nearby.
The strategic significance lies in the timing and potential audience reach. With the Samsung Unpacked event scheduled for next week, which is anticipated to introduce the Galaxy Watch 6 and possibly the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, these new Samsung watches could be the first to operate on Wear OS 4, just as the Galaxy Watch 4 lineup was the first to debut Wear OS 3.
By launching the Wear OS app now, it builds momentum leading up to Unpacked and enhances Wear OS’s appeal to WhatsApp’s extensive user base of 2.24 billion active users. For Meta, this move also allows them to expand their wearable presence on an established platform, particularly since they abandoned their own smartwatch aspirations last year.
This development aligns with Google’s ongoing efforts to enrich Wear OS’s third-party app ecosystem. In addition to WhatsApp, Spotify has plans to introduce new Tiles for its Wear OS app this year, while Peloton recently launched its own Wear OS app.
Also read : WhatsApp introduces feature to mute calls from unknown numbers & spam callers
In summary, the introduction of WhatsApp to Wear OS proves beneficial for all parties involved, ensuring a mutually beneficial outcome.
