Leading Choices in Smartwatch Apps for Your Android Gadget: Find Out Why

Wear OS, formerly Android Wear, isGoogle’s smartwatch platform that powers watches from dozens of manufacturers. Some smartwatch manufacturers include great functionality right out of the box with their default apps, but you can turn a budget-priced, bare-bones smartwatch into a powerhouse with the right smartwatch apps.

Finding the Best Smartwatch Apps for Android

Google’s pared-down version ofGoogle Play is available right on your wrist, which makes it easy to discover new smartwatch apps for your Wear device.

In the Wear OS version of Google Play, you’ll find a list of popular apps, a few handy categories, and even a list of apps on your phone that have smartwatch versions available.

Since it can be tough to sift through the thousands of smartwatch app options on such a tiny screen, we assembled the best Wear apps to help increase your productivity, access important information, and stay entertained when you’re away from your phone.

The apps in this list are available for free from Google Play. Some of them have a premium version that you can buy, and others have optional in-app purchases. Still, you can use the basic version of each app without paying anything.

01

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Find Parking: ParKing

Lifewire

What We Like

• Automatically determines where you park.
• Works in underground and indoor parking structures.

What We Don’t Like

• The interface doesn’t work right on some devices.
• Automatic parking feature requires a Bluetooth device.

ParKing is a handy app that takes the hassle out of remembering where you parked your car. When you launch the app on your smartwatch, all you do is tap the little car icon to log where you parked.

Thought the automatic parking feature requires a Bluetooth connection, when it comes time to find your car, you’ll be able to zoom in on aGoogle Maps view of its exact location.

Download ParKing

02

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Take Notes: Google Keep

Lifewire

What We Like

• Create and access notes and reminders.
• Syncs with your other devices.
• Connect with Android and iOS devices.

What We Don’t Like

• Syncing issues with some phones and watches.
• Can’t open notes on your phone from watch interface.

Google Keep , which shows up on your Wear OS smartwatch as Keep Notes, is a lightweight note-taking app that’s available on a variety of devices and via a web interface.

The version of Google Keep for your smartwatch lets you access your notes on the go and jot down notes wherever you are. Notes created on your watch are synced to the cloud, so you can access them from your other devices later.

Download Google Keep

03

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Never Get Caught in the Rain: AccuWeather

Lifewire

What We Like

• Accurate forecasts suited to small displays.
• Companion app provides detailed forecast info.

What We Don’t Like

• Scrolling is touchy.
• Can’t switch between multiple locations.

The AccuWeather app brings the same forecasts you can access on the web or your phone to your Wear smartwatch.

You don’t get the MinuteCast information, radar, or other bells and whistles because the information is simplified for the limited screen size on smartwatches. What you do get is a weather app that’s easy to read at a glance.

Download AccuWeather

04

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Listen to Podcasts: Wear Casts

Lifewire

What We Like

• Download podcasts to your smartwatch.
• Automatically download new episodes.
• Discover new podcasts.

What We Don’t Like

• Requires a phone to import podcasts.
• Some download issues reported.

Wear Casts is a standalone Wear OS app, meaning it works independently from your phone (except for getting podcasts to the watch).

You can use Wear Casts to download podcasts to your watch, pair Bluetooth earbuds, and listen to podcasts whenever you want, even if your phone isn’t within Bluetooth range.

Since Wear Casts doesn’t require a constant Bluetooth connection to your phone, it’s easier on your batteries than other apps.

Download Wear Casts

05

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Make a Shopping List: Bring!

Lifewire

What We Like

• Generate shopping lists on your watch.
• Store loyalty card details.
• Share your shopping lists with family members.

What We Don’t Like

• Can’t add items via a bar code reader.
• Searchable items don’t include specific brands.

Bring! is a shopping list app that lets you create, edit, and share lists right from your smartwatch. While you can’t add items with a bar code reader, you can store loyalty cards and share lists and collaborate with family members.

This app includes a library of items with easy-to-understand icons, and you can add items to the list using your smartwatch’s voice transcription functionality.

Download Bring!

06

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Find Public Transit: Citymapper

Lifewire

What We Like

• Trip timing for public transit, walking, and biking.
• Supports mixed transportation routes.
• Provides Uber time and cost.

What We Don’t Like

• Only works in certain cities.
• Departure times aren’t always accurate.

Citymapper is a must-have if you use public transit in one of the cities it covers or you’re planning to visit a supported city. It brings a ton of information about bus, train, subway, ferry, and taxi data right to your wrist.

The downside is that it’s only available in a limited number of cities, and it’s useless if you don’t live in any of them and don’t plan on visiting.

Download Citymapper

07

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Track Your Sleep: Sleep as Android

Lifewire

What We Like

• Lucid dreaming mode.
• Integrates with the Sleep as Android phone app.
• The only option for real sleep tracking on Wear.

What We Don’t Like

• Doesn’t work without smartphone.
• Setup can be confusing.

Not all Wear smartwatches offer sleep tracking. There’s also a lack of Wear OS-compatible sleep-tracking apps on Google Play, but Sleep as Android fits the bill nicely.

Sleep as Android includes a ton of features, some of which aren’t available from dedicated fitness devices. For example, the lucid dreaming mode can determine when you enter rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, and it provides an auditory cue to help you realize you’re asleep without fully waking up.

The only downside to Sleep as Android is that the smartwatch app doesn’t work independently from your phone. So you have to make sure your phone is charged up, paired to your watch, and nearby when you go to sleep.

Download Sleep as Android

08

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Authenticate Your Identity: Google Authenticator

Lifewire

What We Like

• It’s Google Authenticator, but on your watch.
• Large numbers are easy to read.

What We Don’t Like

• Doesn’t work without your phone.
• Won’t act as a backup for your phone’s authenticator.

If you use theGoogle Authenticator app on your phone , this app is a great accessory to add to your arsenal. It provides easy access to your authenticators via a swiping motion, and the numbers are large enough that they’re easy to read even on small smartwatch screens.

The only downside is that it relies on your phone to work, so it can’t act as a backup for the authenticator on your phone.

Download Google Authenticator

09

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Crunch Numbers: Calculator

Lifewire

What We Like

• Loads and works quickly.
• Large numbers are easy to read.

What We Don’t Like

• No scientific calculator functions.
• No graphing functions.

If you’re a whiz at mental math, having a calculator on your wrist might not have that much appeal.

For the rest of us, Google’s basic calculator app is an awesome answer to the clunky calculator watches of the 1980s, and it takes the headache out of calculating tips.

Download Calculator

10

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Get New Watch Faces: TIMEFLIK

Lifewire

What We Like

• Tons of free watch face designs.
• New designs are added regularly.
• Create your own watch faces.

What We Don’t Like

• Bluetooth errors can prevent new watch face downloads.
• Feels sluggish on some devices.

Many free and paid apps provide access to new watch faces, but TIMEFLIK is at the top of the heap. It includes free watch faces, premium watch faces you can buy, and you can design your own.

Some slow performance and Bluetooth error are possible, but TIMEFLIK is a great resource for watch face personalization.

Download Mr. Time

11

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Play Golf: Hole19

Lifewire

What We Like

• Access range information when you’re golfing.
• Decent coverage including small local courses.
• No need to refer to phone before every shot.

What We Don’t Like

• Doesn’t work without a phone.
• Analysis tools you can check out after your round.

Hole19 is a golf range finding and score tracking app that runs on your phone. Plus, it has an accessory smartwatch app that lets you access essential information from the convenience of your wrist.

If your local course is included in the more than 40,000 courses that Hole19 covers, you can use both the smartphone and smartwatch app for free. There is a paid version, but it primarily provides high-resolution graphics rather than unlocking additional course information.

Download Hole19

12

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Tease Your Brain: Infinity Loop

Lifewire

What We Like

• Works well with the limited screen space.
• Challenging but relaxing to play.

What We Don’t Like

• Ads can be overwhelming.
• If you have to reinstall, you lose your progress.

Despite the minimal screen space available on Wear smartwatches, some decent games are available for the platform. Infinity Loop is especially well suited to play on small screens. This puzzle game uses the basic mechanic of tapping puzzle pieces to rotate them until they form a pattern.

It’s easy to pick up, and it’s basic compared to the great smartphone games out there, but it is a nice little time-waster that you can play without pulling out your phone.

Download Infinity Loop

13

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Stay Hydrated: Water Drink Reminder

Lifewire

What We Like

• Automatically generates phone/watch reminders.
• Handy if you need help drinking enough water.

What We Don’t Like

• Annoying alert sounds.
• Syncing issues with some phones and watches.

There are many benefits associated with staying adequately hydrated. Still, most people have trouble remembering to take a few sips here and there throughout the day.

Water Drink Reminder is designed to remind you to drink at regular intervals so that you take in an optimal amount of water, based on your height and weight. It runs on both your phone and smartwatch, so there’s less of a chance of missing a reminder.

Download Water Drink Reminder

14

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Find Your Way: Google Maps

Lifewire

What We Like

• Auto-orients map based on direction you’re facing.
• Makes it easy to find local points of interest.

What We Don’t Like

• Limited in comparison to the regular Google Maps app.
• Fewer options and less functionality.

Google’s map app is an easy sell on Wear. It’s simplistic compared to the full smartphone app. However, it makes it easy to orient yourself and automatically reorients based on the direction you’re moving.

It also allows you to drop a pin at your destination and launch full navigation on your phone. Like the smartphone app, the Google Maps app for Wear also helps you local points of interest when you’re walking around on foot.

Download Google Maps

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