How to Organize Your Smartwatch Apps

The 15 Best Smartwatch Apps for Android

Wear, formerly Android Wear, is Google'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 of Google Play is available right on your wrist, which makes it easy to discover new smartwatch apps for your Wear device. In the Wear 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 15 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.

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. When it comes time to find your car, you'll be able to zoom in on a Google Maps view of its exact location.

What We Like

• Create and access notes and reminders.

• Syncs with your other devices.

• Connect with Android and iOS devices.

Google Keep, which shows up on your Wear 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.

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 pared down for the limited screen size on smartwatches. What you do get is a weather app that's easy to read at a glance.

Wear Casts is a standalone Wear 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.

Amazon has an official Alexa app for Android phones, but it isn't compatible with Wear. That's where the third-party app Listens for Alexa comes in. This app brings Alexa to your wrist, and it includes most of the functionality of an actual Alexa device.

You can even use this app to control any smart home devices that you usually control with your Amazon Echo.

What We Like

• Generate shopping lists on your watch.

• Store loyalty card details.

• Share your shopping lists with family members.

Bring! is a shopping list app that lets you create, edit, and share lists right from your smartwatch. It 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.

What We Like

• Offers trip timing for public transit, walking, and bicycling.

• Supports mixed transportation routes.

• Provides Uber time and cost.

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.

One major function that Wear smartwatches lack when compared to dedicated fitness devices like Fitbit is sleep tracking. There's also a lack of sleep tracking apps on Google Play that work with Wear 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.

Use the Apps on Your Phone section in the Google Play store on your watch to download this.

If you use the Google 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.

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.

What We Like

• Tons of free watch face designs.

• New designs are added regularly.

• Create your own watch faces.

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

What We Like

• Access range information when you're golfing.

• Decent coverage including small local courses.

• You don't have to pull your phone out before every shot.

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.

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.

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.

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 find local points of interest when you're walking around on foot. It also allows you to drop a pin at your destination and launch full navigation on your phone.

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Smartwatches make it easy to stay connected wherever you are. If you're looking for some more powerful features beyond notifications and fitness tracking on your smartwatch, installing third-party apps will make the most of the capabilities of your watch and help you stay connected and be productive, and much more.

Let's take a closer look at some of the best apps for Wear OS smartwatches by category.

Productivity Apps for Wear OS

Want to stay on track with your schedules? We recommend downloading these apps on your smartwatch, so you can stay organized and manage tasks better.

1. Todoist

Todoist is an excellent solution if you're looking for an uncomplicated task management app. It is a simple-to-use productivity app that allows you to create tasks and get things done efficiently.

With Todoist, you can get a clear view of your schedule, add tasks, and organize them in your inbox. To set it up, you'll need to sign in using your phone or your Google account and follow the on-screen instructions to connect it to your smartwatch. The app can be accessed on smartphones as well as desktop devices, so you can access your lists at all times.

Download: Todoist (Free, subscription available)

2. Microsoft Outlook

Microsoft Outlook can help you keep track of your emails, meetings, and tasks. You can reply directly to emails and view important notifications right from within the smartwatch app.

It also includes a calendar feature that can be used to manage your personal and business tasks while on the move. As with Todoist, the app syncs seamlessly across all of your devices, so you can keep up with schedules, appointments, and more.

Download: Microsoft Outlook (Free)

3. Samsung Voice Recorder

The Samsung Voice Recorder app is a convenient way to record important voice notes, interviews, or audio messages on the go. This dictaphone app has a simple interface that makes using it super easy.

To use the app, simply tap the start/stop button on the screen, and speak into your smartwatch microphone. The app will then save all of your recordings to your device's storage so that they can be played back later at any time. The app supports a speech-to-text feature as well.

Download: Samsung Voice Recorder (Free)

Health and Wellness Apps for Wear OS

Smartwatches are great at helping you keep up with your fitness routines. With these apps, you'll be able to monitor your general health and wellness habits more closely.

4. Calm

Calm is a guided meditation app that helps you to be mindful, focus, and feel good. It's the perfect app for anyone who wants to build a meditation practice or deepen their existing one. You can use the app as a tool for getting through stressful moments, like an important meeting or exam.

Calm includes relaxation techniques for dealing with stressors like anxiety and depression, and also offers techniques for improving your sleep quality.

Download: Calm (Free, subscription available)

5. Sleep Cycle

With Sleep Cycle, you'll get a range of customizable alarms and other features to manage your sleep routines better.

Once you've downloaded the app on your smartphone and smartwatch, you'll need to connect your watch and start setting up your profile. Next, we recommend setting up a schedule for when you want your alarm to go off. You can also adjust the types of notification you'd like to receivesounds or vibrations.

The premium version of the Sleep Cycle app comes with several features beyond these basics. If you're interested in sleep analysiswhich provides statistics on how well you slept or whether there were any issuesyou'll want to upgrade so that you can get access to these insights.

Download: Sleep Cycle (Free, subscription available)

6. Lifesum

Lifesum is more than just a calorie counter tool. It's an easy-to-use app for anyone who wants to monitor their wellness habits effectively. The app is geared towards helping you lose or maintain weight by giving you recommendations on nutrition, diet plans, and logging details of your food intake that can help you make better lifestyle choices.

To get started, you'll need to sign up for an account first. While some features are available in the free version, you'll need to upgrade to a paid version to access most of them.

Download: Lifesum (Free, subscription available)

Habit-Tracking, Notes, and Reminders Apps for Wear OS

Habit-tracking apps help you build healthier habits and stay consistent with them. Reminder apps allow you to stay organized and on time. Here are some apps we recommend for you to help you navigate your day better.

7. Google Keep

Need to jot down a quick shopping list, or an idea for a new project? You can save lists and notes to Google Keep on your watch. With a simple design and easy-to-use interface, you can take quick notes and add reminders with the minimum of fuss.

You'll simply need to download the Google Keep app and use the same account login credentials to sync your lists and reminders across multiple devices.

Download: Google Keep (Free)

8. Water Minder

Water Minder is an easy-to-use reminder app to help you stay hydrated. To get started, fill in your details such as your name, gender, and weight details.

The app will calculate the recommended daily fluid intake for you based on your inputs, and then remind you to drink throughout the day. You can also select from a range of suggested intake amounts or add your own inputs.

Download: Water Minder (Free, in-app purchases)

Customization Apps for Wear OS

Do you ever get bored with the same old look for your watch? There are several apps available that can improve and enhance your smartwatch experience. Let's take a closer look at some of these apps.

9. Facer

Facer is a great customization app for your smartwatch. It has a huge selection of watch faces to choose from. Depending on the watch face, you can change color schemes and images or use one of their design templates.

You can also add and customize complications (little icons) to your watch face that gives you access to various features like weather forecasts, music controls, calendar events, and more.

The watch faces are separated into categories based on their design and themes. Whether you want something simple or something more complex, there's an option for every occasion.

Download: Facer Watch Faces (Free, subscription available)

10. Launcher for Wear OS

Launcher apps allow you to change layouts and themes to personalize your watch experience. Launcher for Wear OS is an easy way to customize the look and feel of your smartwatch menu.

To set up the app, you'll need to grant the necessary permissions first. You can easily organize your apps in a list or grid view, and long press an app to open the available options to mark it as a favorite or hide the app.

Download: Launcher for Wear OS (Free, premium version available)

Weather and Navigation Apps for Wear OS

To help you stay on top of the weather, there are several great apps that you can use with your smartwatch. You can also get a navigation app like Google Maps or Waze. Let's take a look.

11. Google Maps

Google Maps is a must-have smartwatch app that can help you find directions and navigate easily in real time with just a few quick taps.

The app can be particularly useful when you are trying to find an address or store, or directions in an unfamiliar area. You can also use it as a way to navigate while driving or walking around town without needing to use your phone.

Download: Google Maps (Free)

12. Weather Radar

Weather Radar is a helpful app for those who are interested to keep up with the latest weather updates. The app provides users with a variety of different features including:

• A quick overview of temperature, pressure, UV index, and other conditions for a location.
• An hourly forecast that tells you what to expect in terms of temperature and precipitation throughout the day.
• A weekly forecast, so you can plan well ahead of an upcoming event or trip.

Download: Weather Radar (Free)

The Best Wear OS Apps

While the overall smartwatch experience is still rather limited, even the most basic of smartwatches have enough functionality to make them useful. And if you're looking for a way to jumpstart your smartwatch experience, check out these essential apps listed abovethey're sure to help you get the most out of your new gadget.