Garmin challenges WearOS with new native WhatsApp app: Is your smartwatch supported?

Garmin rolls out WhatsApp app for select watches, letting users read, reply and manage chats without their phone.

Garmin smartwatches have long been the go-to choice for athletes and fitness enthusiasts, but they run on the company’s proprietary operating system.

Because of this, app support has traditionally been limited, with popular apps like WhatsApp notably absent. That is now changing, as Garmin is now launching a new WhatsApp app for select models.

Available for free in the Connect IQ Store, the new WhatsApp app is compatible with Fenix 8, Forerunner 970, Venu 4, Venu X1, Fenix 8 Pro, Forerunner 570 and Vivoactive 6.

A report by WABetaInfo hints that watches like Enduro 3, Fenix E, Quatix 8, and Tactix 8 are also supported, but we suggest you to take this information with a grain of salt.

To use WhatsApp on your Garmin watch, the company says users should update their app to the latest version and enable Bluetooth permissions for WhatsApp on their iPhone. Users are also required to update their Garmin app to version 26,10.105.

Apart from being able to view and read full messages, Garmin users can also get call notifications, decline calls, and see their 10 recent chats, preview media, including images and videos and even reply to messages using keyboard, quick replies and emojis.

It looks like the WhatsApp app for Garmin devices might be pretty similar to its WearOS counterpart, which also offers a similar feature set.

Similar to the mobile version of WhatsApp, all chats and messages are end-to-end encrypted. One thing to note here is that the WhatsApp app on Garmin currently works for only personal accounts, meaning WhatsApp business support is missing.

For years, Garmin users had to rely on their smartwatch’s notifications to check WhatsApp messages, but with the company now announcing a native app, users will be able to text others from their wrists.

Garmin smartwatches have long been the go-to choice for athletes and fitness enthusiasts, but they run on the company’s proprietary operating system.

Because of this, app support has traditionally been limited, with popular apps like WhatsApp notably absent. That is now changing, as Garmin is now launching a new WhatsApp app for select models.

Available for free in the Connect IQ Store, the new WhatsApp app is compatible with Fenix 8, Forerunner 970, Venu 4, Venu X1, Fenix 8 Pro, Forerunner 570 and Vivoactive 6.

A report by WABetaInfo hints that watches like Enduro 3, Fenix E, Quatix 8, and Tactix 8 are also supported, but we suggest you to take this information with a grain of salt.

To use WhatsApp on your Garmin watch, the company says users should update their app to the latest version and enable Bluetooth permissions for WhatsApp on their iPhone. Users are also required to update their Garmin app to version 26,10.105.

Apart from being able to view and read full messages, Garmin users can also get call notifications, decline calls, and see their 10 recent chats, preview media, including images and videos and even reply to messages using keyboard, quick replies and emojis.

It looks like the WhatsApp app for Garmin devices might be pretty similar to its WearOS counterpart, which also offers a similar feature set.

Similar to the mobile version of WhatsApp, all chats and messages are end-to-end encrypted. One thing to note here is that the WhatsApp app on Garmin currently works for only personal accounts, meaning WhatsApp business support is missing.

For years, Garmin users had to rely on their smartwatch’s notifications to check WhatsApp messages, but with the company now announcing a native app, users will be able to text others from their wrists.