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Samsung's decision to drop Tizen and move the Galaxy Watch 4 to Google Wear OS was driven by a desire for a proper app ecosystem – and things are already starting to pay off.
With access to Google's Play Store, owners of Samsung's new smartwatch have access to a bigger catalogue of high profile apps.
And Google is a big part of that, too. It's using the renewed interest in the Galaxy Watch 4 to galvanize developers to improve the Play Store. It's put in place new guidelines over app quality that will apply to Wear 3.0 watches.
Here's our pick of Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 apps.
How to download apps on the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4
There's two ways to get apps on your Watch 4. The first is to download apps from the Google Play Store, via the Samsung Galaxy Wearable companion phone app. Once the Galaxy Wearable app is installed on your phone and your Watch 4 or Watch 4 Classic is paired, do the following:
Scroll down from the main screen until you see Store and this will push you into the Google Play Store.
Download apps directly from the Galaxy Watch 4
If you want to download apps directly from the Watch 4, do the following:
1. Swipe up from the main watch screen to reveal the app screen
2. Look for the Google Play Store app icon.
3. If you haven't done already you'll need to link a new or existing Google account to start downloading apps.
4. You can return to the app and start searching for apps by voice, using the keyboard or drawing out letters to spell the app you're searching for, which we found the most useful method.
1. Spotify
Free, Google Play
When Google first announced Wear OS 3, Spotify was among the first apps being rebuilt for the new platform. Like the Samsung Tizen version, it still gets you offline playlist support (with a Premium subscription), the ability to control where the music is streamed from and 'like' songs by tapping that heart icon. There's a dedicated screen to download playlists and there's also Tile support, which means you can add a dedicated screen to quickly access and start playing something.
2. YouTube Music
Subscription required, Google Play
If you don't fancy Spotify, there's you can opt for YouTube Music as your go-to music streaming service. Like Spotify, you'll need to have a YouTube premium subscription to make use of the app, which lets you download music when offline. YouTube has also added a smart download feature, which will download 50-500 songs over Wi-Fi when your watch is on charge.
3. Strava
Free, Google Play
This is another app that's been rebuilt for Wear OS 3. Strava doesn't need any huge explanation. It's a place to track your workouts if you don't think Samsung's workout app doesn't do a good enough job of it. You can track runs, rides, walks, hikes and even E-bike rides with the ability to turn on audio cues and enable/disable auto pause modes for running and cycling. It's simple to use and pushes tracked sessions to the main Strava app ready to soak up all of that Kudos.
4. Calm
Free (subscription required for full access), Google Play
The app for helping you sleep and giving you somewhere to get that meditation fix, Calm offers a a range of classes to help you destress or find some sounds to help you quickly snooze off at night. The new Wear OS app now supports third party Tiles, which means you can now add a widget giving you quick access to short guided breathing exercises to get you back to a calmer state again.
5. Komoot
Free (subscription required for full access), Google Play
The mapping platform for hikers, walkers, runners and anyone that likes spending time out on the great outdoors has updated its Wear OS app to be a better fit for Google's new OS. There's now two third party Tile options with the first letting you quickly track workouts and the second offering a place to see Tours, which are recommended places to visit and explore near your current location.
6. Walkie-Talkie
Free, Google Play
Yes, Apple already did this one too, and now if you've got a Galaxy Watch 4-owning friend, you can use the Samsung smartwatch as a way to have instant chats via the onboard microphone. It can search your contacts for people to chat with and enabling permission to your location will help you search for friends to get talking with over Bluetooth.
7. Outdooractive
Free, Google Play
Like Komoot, Outdooractive is another useful app that lets you download hiking, cycling OS maps that can you can store offline when you venture into locations where getting good phone signal is going to be an issue. It can make use of Samsung's PPG heart rate monitor to track heart rate and lets you view details like coordinates and elevation data. The third party Tile support also means you can swipe to see a handful of recommended routes to check out near to your current location.
8. adidas Running
Free (In-app purchases available), Google Play
The adidas Running app has been knocking around on the Google Play Store for Wear OS watches for a while and with Wear OS 3 it's been given a bit of a revamp. You can view your most recent tracked workouts, log activities beyond running too. You can use the Galaxy Watch 4's heart rate monitor to track effort levels and choose whether to keep auto pause on and off if you don't want to capture those traffic light stops as part of your overall workout time.
9. Swim.com
Free, Google Play
This is one of the best swimming apps for Wear OS smartwatches and it's been rebuilt for Wear OS 3. Once you're all signed up, you can track swims including metrics like distance tracked, heart rate and it can detect stroke type too. There's also two third party Tile options letting you see weekly swim progress and details of your most recent swim.
10. Lifesum
Free, Google Play
There aren't great ways to track your nutrition through Samsung's own apps and LifeSum is one of the simplest calorie counting options to grab from the Google Play Store. Aside from a being a very simple app to use, it offers dedicated screens to keep track exercise minutes, calories you have left for the day and keeping track of your water intake over your day.