WhatsApp Is Now Available as a Standalone App for Wear OS
WhatsApp has finally launched its standalone app for smartwatches running Google's Wear OS. The new app allows users to start new chats, reply to messages, and even answer calls directly from their Wear OS smartwatches, without them having to have their connected phone with them. Users will also be able to respond with voice messages, regular text, emoji, and quick replies.
The app is now rolling out to users worldwide and is compatible with smartwatches running Wear OS 3.
Respond on the go: @WhatsApp is now available on Wear OS 🙌 Take calls 📞, start new convos 💬, and reply to texts all from your wrist ✅ pic.twitter.com/3AkibWw6zj
— Meta Newsroom (@MetaNewsroom) July 19, 2023
Notably, Apple's watchOS does not currently have a standalone WhatsApp app. This means that Apple Watch users do not have the native option to send messages or make calls via WhatsApp from their smartwatches. They can only view incoming messages and respond to them if the appropriate notification settings are enabled on their paired iPhones.
.@WhatsApp is now available globally on #WearOS! 💚 🌏
— Wear OS by Google (@WearOSbyGoogle) July 19, 2023
Start new chats, reply to messages by voice and answer calls from your watch - safely and securely. 🔒
Download it here on Google Play: https://t.co/y2eGfMAwGy pic.twitter.com/vUMy1T7fSn
In a bid to challenge Apple's dominance, Google has been making concerted efforts to improve Wear OS, attracting new manufacturers and offering new apps and features for the platform.
Furthermore, this rollout aligns with Google's commitment to expand its Wear OS app ecosystem. In addition to WhatsApp, the company has also announced plans for Spotify to release new Tiles for its Wear OS app, and Peloton has recently launched its own Wear OS app.