What You Need to Know About Gestures for Google’s New Wear OS Smartwatch
If you like the little Google on your wrist, it’s time to start obsessively checking for software updates. According to Google, Wear OS users will receive a big update over the next month that will add (and change) gesture controls on your smartwatch, improve Google Assistant, and make tracking your fitness easier.
Here are the new features and gesture controls coming to your Wear OS smartwatch soon, along with a detailed description of what they do:
View all applications: short press on the main button . A quick press brings up your smartwatch’s apps window, where you can find and open any software you’ve downloaded and installed.
Activating Google Assistant: long press on the main button. Like several other gestures on the list, this reflects the same action you would use to access Google Assistant on an Android device, and the functionality is identical. Ask Google Assistant questions, get important updates, dictate text messages or emails, schedule timers and reminders – this is pretty much exactly what you would expect from Google AI Assistant, except that you speak in your wristwatch, not to your smartphone.
Change dial: long press on the display. This gesture will likely be the first major difference that most users will notice after the Google Wear OS update is released. Previously, Wear OS users could swipe right or left to change the face of their smartwatch, but now you can just long press on the display to change your style.
Access notifications: Swipe up. The gesture will perform the same task as always, but now you will see the change in the notification screen. Notifications stack up in a scrolling list, instead of each one filling the entire screen of your smartwatch one at a time. As before, any interaction you have with smartwatch notifications is synced to your smartphone.
Access the quick settings menu: swipe down
As with swiping notifications, the gesture function will be the same after this new update, but Google has added two new buttons to the context menu. The first is a dedicated Find My Phone button, and the second is for Google Pay. (Remember, your Wear OS device requires NFC to use Google Pay.)
Open the Google Assistant feed: swipe right. Now swipe right to open the Google Assistant feed, replacing the swap feature that was previously activated by the swipe. Similar to the ribbon that you can access on your Android phone by swiping to the right (once called “Google Now”), this screen will display weather forecasts, important calendar updates, and other information that the Assistant deems important to you depending on from the use of your device and location. , behavior and more.
Google Fit: Swipe left. Swipe left to reveal Google’s new redesigned fitness tracker rings, which was recently released as an update to Google Fit on August 21st . This gesture also replaces the change watch face, which was held down while swiping to the left was held while swiping to the right.
On this screen, users will find two new goals for the week: Movement Minutes and Cardio Points. Movement minutes have replaced the step counter and will now record motor activity not only when walking, but also in a wider range of mobility. On the other hand, cardio training points are awarded for the increase in heart rate through training and other serious physical activity. Progress towards these weekly goals is tracked with colored rings that gradually move across the screen as you work towards achieving them.