WhatsApp Coming To Wear OS Later This Year, Zuckerberg Teases Top Features

Wear OS users will be able to start conversations and receive calls on WhatsApp.

Wear OS users will finally be able to use WhatsApp on smartwatches. ( Image Source :Facebook/Mark Zuckerberg )

The collaboration between Google and Samsung in developing Wear OS 3 has resulted in a significant resurgence of the platform. This renewed interest has been further fueled by the introduction of Wear OS 3-powered Android smartwatches such as the Galaxy Watch 5 and Google Pixel Watch, leading to increased adoption by consumers. As a result, developers have started taking Wear OS more seriously, resulting in a larger number of apps available for the best Android smartwatches compared to before. Joining this trend is WhatsApp, which is owned by Mark Zuckerberg's Meta. The company has recently released a beta version of its Wear OS 3 app for testing purposes.

Zuckerberg on Wednesday said that WhatsApp on Wear OS will allow users to receive calls, start new conversations, and reply to texts.

Back in 2014, WhatsApp initially introduced support for Android Wear in its app, but it was eventually discontinued due to a lack of user adoption. With the arrival of Wear OS 3, WhatsApp decided to take a different approach by observing the market before offering a native app.

This approach has changed now, as WhatsApp's native app for Wear OS is available for beta testing. To access the app, users need to have WhatsApp beta for Android v2.23.10.10 installed. If you have the latest build, you can visit WhatsApp's Play Store listing and find an option to install the companion app for Wear OS.

Previously, Wear OS users could only view and respond to new WhatsApp messages through the notification shade. Accessing existing conversations was not possible due to the absence of a native app. However, with the native WhatsApp app for Wear OS 3, users now have full access to current and past conversations, including group chats. Reply options include voice and text input, and the app even provides a small preview of shared images.

To set up WhatsApp on a Wear OS 3 watch, users must enter an eight-digit code displayed on their phone. After this step, the Wear OS app will sync all chats with the user's phone. While existing conversations can be accessed, the current version of the app does not support searching through conversations or initiating new chats.

The Wear OS 3 app introduces a couple of new tiles, allowing users to quickly access their favourite contacts and send voice notes to their most recent conversations.

As WhatsApp's Wear OS 3 app is still in the beta phase, it is possible that Meta will address some of the limitations in future updates. If the Wear OS app is not visible on the Play Store for those who are not part of the WhatsApp beta program, an alternative option is to sideload it from APKMirror.