WhatsApp is now available on your Wear OS-powered smartwatch

Owners of Google Wear OS-powered Smartwatches like the Pixel Watch can now download and install WhatsApp on their wrists for the very first time. The news was confirmed by Meta via a post to Twitter.

None of this should be all that surprising to anyone paying attention of course. The WhatsApp Wear OS app was teased during Google I/O so it was only a matter of time until the app was released.

Those hoping to install WhatsApp will need to have a smartwatch running Wear OS 3 (or later) but assuming that's all squared away there shouldn't be all that many problems. The release also comes just as Samsung is expected to announce its next generation of smartwatches. The Galaxy Watch 6 and Galaxy Watch 6 Classic are expected to be announced on July 26 and there's some suggestion that they will be the first to run Wear OS 4. If so, this timing from Meta and Google, bringing WhatsApp to Wear OS today, is unlikely to have happened by accident.

In use, the WhatsApp app is pretty simplistic. It lets you start new conversations, reply to existing ones, and even take calls if you really want to. All of the usual features are there as well including sending voice messages and quick replies if that's something you're into.

The new WhatsApp Wear OS app is of course free to download so long as you have a compatible watch. If not, we hear that Samsung is more than willing to sell you a new one starting next week.