Garmin just announced that a new official WhatsApp app is coming to some of its smartwatches. WhatsApp works across Garmin’s Fenix, Forerunner, Venu, and Vivoactive lines of smartwatches. So, if you own a smartwatch from one of those ranges, you can go to Garmin’s Connect IQ store and download WhatsApp right now.
Using WhatsApp on a Garmin watch is an experience similar to using the app on other smartwatches. Here’s what the app can do on your Garmin watch:
- View recent messages and conversations at a glance.
- Read and reply to messages using the built-in keyboard.
- Quickly send emojis and reactions to messages.
- See more chat history with up to 10 messages shown on screen.
- See incoming calls with the option to decline.
You still cannot use your Garmin watch to actually make calls on WhatsApp. Most Garmin watches come without an integrated microphone, and even a few premium ones that do can’t handle WhatsApp calls. But this is the case across most of the smartwatch industry, so Garmin doesn’t exactly lag behind in any meaningful way when it comes to making WhatsApp calls.
WhatsApp’s core privacy feature, which is end-to-end encryption of messages, is natively present. To properly use WhatsApp on your Garmin watch, you still need to connect it to an Android or iPhone with WhatsApp installed.
Garmin is very strict when it comes to third-party apps in its app store. That’s why WhatsApp is the first-ever, and for now only, third-party messaging app available on Garmin’s platform. However, Garmin hinted at more third-party integrations in the future, as the company looks to expand the abilities of its smartwatches beyond simple fitness tracking.
Source: Garmin
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