Wear OS has matured significantly in recent years, with a flourishing app ecosystem to match. Like Android, Wear OS also comes with the Google Play Store pre-installed from where you can install apps. Although the app library is limited compared to Android, there are a bunch of Wear OS apps that can enhance your wearable experience. From productivity to utility and ecosystem apps, here are some of the best Wear OS apps you can use.
1. Spotify
Spotify needs no introduction. Besides its huge music library, this leading music streaming service brings many great features that enhance your listening experience. One of my favorite Spotify features is Spotify Connect which makes using Spotify on Wear OS a joy and gives it the upper hand over YouTube Music.
There’s also support for offline downloads, and the ability to look for your playlists and stream directly from the watch to your phone or any connected device with Spotify installed. You can also change the streaming and download quality directly from your watch, and the media controls and syncing work tremendously well. Overall, it’s one of the best apps on Wear OS.
2. Google Maps
Maps on Wear OS might not seem like a huge deal at first glance but you’d be shocked at how easier it makes navigation. My primary mode of transportation is a scooter and Google Maps has been an absolute game-changer for me and has saved lots of time.
I despise smartphone holders and the anxiety of dropping my phone when driving makes me want to stay away from them. Google Maps on Wear OS shows you the directions on your wrist, which makes it a perfect companion for my use case.
Starting navigation on your phone syncs it on Wear OS and pulls up directions on your wrist; You can choose between map view or directions view. I prefer using the latter in most cases as the map view is rather tiny and hard to read on my Pixel Watch 2.
3. Todoist
Todoist is a popular app on Android and is also available for Wear OS. For those unaware, it’s used to store your to-do lists and easily collaborate on projects. It’s a comprehensive to-do and planner app to add things to your schedule and closely track them.
The Wear OS app effortlessly syncs all your to-dos and tasks from Inbox. The app looks quite simple at first glance but has nearly all the features available in the Todoist Android app. This makes adding new tasks right from your wrist effortless. If you’re hunting for a task scheduling or reminder app that’s more comprehensive than Google Keep, you will love using Todoist on Android and Wear OS.
4. Google Home
The Google Home app should be no stranger to connected smart home tech aficionados. It’s hands down one of the best apps to control and automate your smart appliances. While the Android app offers lots of functionality, the Wear OS app takes it further by allowing you to control your smart appliances or plugs right from your wrist.
The app recently got a UI overhaul and looks fantastic. If you have or are planning to purchase smart devices compatible with Google Assistant, Google Home can be a one-stop destination to control all of them from one place.
5. WowMouse
WowMouse could be a game-changer in situations when you’re away from your PC and you don’t have a Bluetooth mouse but a wired one. All you need to do is download WowMouse on your Wear OS smartwatch, make your watch discoverable by following the instructions, and connect it to your PC via Bluetooth.
Once connected, you can move your hand to move the cursor and pinch to mimic a mouse click. Sure, you can sometimes feel latency issues especially when you’re far from your PC, but the click accuracy and ease of use are on point once you get habituated to it.
6. SimpleWear
There may be times when you might want to control certain features on your smartphone from your Wear OS smartwatch. Now, Wear OS by default is quite limited but SimpleWear is an app that lets you control most of your phone’s features from your wrist. From Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and mobile data to Flashlight, location, and DND, you name it.
The app also lets you lock your device, adjust volume, and control music playback on your phone from the watch. The best part is that it’s completely free and open-source, meaning you wouldn’t need to worry about granting essential permissions such as Device Admin.
7. Wear Casts
If you’re a fan of Podcasts, Wear Cast is an excellent app that allows you to listen to Podcasts on the go. It’s an independent Podcast app that doesn’t require you to have a companion app on your Android phone. Instead, all you need to do is connect your smartwatch to your Android phone for internet and a pair of wireless earphones.
It might take you a while to get used to the user interface, but once you do you’ll find it simple and easy to use. Overall, it’s one of the best apps you can use on Wear OS.
8. Sofascore
Can’t catch a game because your boss wouldn’t let you go home before you finish work? Sofascore is an app that can help you in this scenario, allowing you to keep track of game scores. From Football to Basketball and Cricket, the app can track 20+ sports and 5000+ league tournaments to give you score updates.
It has a clean and intuitive UI. All you need to do to start tracking your favorite games is follow them on the companion app on Android, and they will be automatically added to Sofascore on your Wear OS watch. The app is completely free to use.
9. Shazam
Shazam should be no stranger to most people as it’s one of the most popular and accurate music recognition apps on the planet. The Wear OS app works great and is quite quick at recognizing music. I wish Google integrated “Now Playing” on the Pixel Watch in At a Glance complication as it’d made things much easier.
Shazam on Wear OS doesn’t require a companion app and can sign in directly via the Google account on your Watch. The history is stored regardless of whether you’re logged in or not. It’s one of the best apps you can download on your Wear OS device.
10. TIMEFLIK
Don’t get me wrong, Facer (Play Store) is a good app but I like the Watch faces selection better on TIMEFLICK. The app isn’t clean and a tricky one to use, plus not all Watch faces are free and the nicer ones need purchasing but if you’re looking for a comprehensive selection of great watch faces, it’s a good app.
It’s supported on most Wear OS versions, including Wear OS 2.0. The paid watch faces are purchased using the in-app currency “p” which can be exchanged in the shop with your currency. The pricing is on the expensive side but some of the watch faces make it look like it’s worth it.
Some of the other popular and general apps on Wear OS are WhatsApp, Google Calendar, YouTube Music, GBoard, Google Keep, Gmail, and SoundCloud. All apps work quite well; some have tiles that you can add to access the key features of the apps quickly.
With the Wear OS ecosystem growing immensely, it won’t be too long until more popular Android apps emerge on the Wear platform. What are your thoughts about Wear OS? Do let us know in the comments section below.
