The Google Assistant is finally available for the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4, which runs Google’s Wear OS 3 operating system.
The “Hey Google” voice command of course is in effect (Google’s getting rid of the “Hey” part soon, of course) and it’ll also be accessible by holding the Home button, although it will have to be manually assigned.
With Google’s Pixel Watch finally on the way, Samsung will be glad to have feature parity in competition with Google’s homegrown hardware. You can read our early thoughts on the upcoming contest in our Pixel Watch vs Galaxy Watch 4 preview.
The voice assistant can now be downloaded from the Google Play Store from today, well before the summer window the pair outlined at I/O. If anyone’s taken a look out of the window today, they’d know it certainly isn’t summer time, so well done Google!
The Google Assistant has been a long time coming for the Wear OS device. Samsung had initially promised that users would have be able to choose between the Google Assistant, and the homegrown and rather unloved Bixby. However, the Galaxy Watch 4 came out in August of 2021, so the company has taken its time in making it accessible for users.
In May, Samsung’s Patrick Chomet said: “This summer, I’m excited to share that Galaxy Watch4 users will be able to download Google Assistant to their device, featuring faster and more natural voice interactions, enabling quick answers and on-the-go help.”
“We’re bringing enhanced functionality to our third-party partners, too. Soon, our users can control Spotify with Google Assistant and change songs on the fly using only their voice.”
It doesn’t seem like the third-party controls are available yet, or any time soon, but we’ll keep you posted. Bixby is also sticking around so Galaxy Watch 4 users have a choice.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
