Mark Zuckerberg Announces WhatsApp Can Be Used On Wear OS Smartwatches

The CEO of Meta, Mark Zuckerberg, has revealed that the initial WhatsApp smartwatch application is now accessible on Wear OS. From now on, Android smartwatch users can initiate new conversations, respond to messages, and attend calls.

Wear OS is an Android operating system designed for smartwatches, with which the WhatsApp beta for Android update is finally compatible. Available on watches running Wear OS 3, users no longer need to carry their phone to stay connected, and can respond to friends and family using their voice, emoticons, quick replies or text messages.

WhatsApp is not available as an app on Apple Watch. Google’s platform is the first smartwatch platform to officially support WhatsApp. According to reports, WhatsApp will prompt you when you try to connect your WhatsApp account to your Wear OS device. When you connect the smartwatch app to your WhatsApp account, an 8-digit code appears on the watch prompting the user to enter the code on their device.

Once you’ve entered the code, your chats will be securely synced between your devices so you can start using WhatsApp on your smartwatch. Note that messages in the smartwatch app still maintain end-to-end encryption because it relies on multi-device capabilities.

The timing of the launch is interesting as Samsung is set to release the next generation Galaxy Watch 6 series on July 26th. The South Korean giant has worked closely with Google to improve Wear OS for smartwatches. Google has been actively improving the operating system since the release of the Pixel Watch.

Meanwhile, WhatsApp has added a new feature that allows users to start chatting with unknown people by searching their phone numbers without saving them in the address book. It is available to users who install the latest versions of WhatsApp on iOS and Android.

Thanks to this feature, the Meta-owned app makes it easy to start conversations without saving contact information in your address book.