Samsung has released a new Walkie-Talkie app that turns its fresh-out-of-the-oven Galaxy Watch 4 into a walkie talkie. Now, this is not exactly a novel concept, as the Apple Watch has had a walkie talkie feature for years. However, it’s still a meaningful addition to a smartwatch that comes loaded with advanced health-centric capabilities and a ton of neat features. For example, users can download music from Spotify on their smartwatch and save it for offline listening.
One of the most interesting tools to debut with the Galaxy Watch 4 series is the BioActive Sensor that is said to measure the overall body composition. This includes important metrics such as bone percentage, water, muscle mass, and amount of body fat. All a user has to do is push their index finger and ring finger against the two side buttons on Galaxy Watch 4 and get a wide range of body stats in just fifteen minutes. Aside from the usual heart rate and sleep monitoring duties, it can measure blood pressure and take an ECG reading as well.
The latest addition to Samsung’s flagship smartwatch is a walkie-talkie trick that is enabled via a dedicated Walkie-Talkie app. However, there are a few things that Samsung smartwatch users should know in advance. First, the Walkie-Talkie app by Samsung only works on the Galaxy Watch 4 and its pricier Classic sibling. For those rocking the Galaxy Watch 3 or its predecessor, they won’t be able to access the app as they run the in-house Tizen software, while the Galaxy Watch 4 boots the new Wear OS 3 by Google. In other words, to communicate via the walkie talkie feature, users need to find someone who also owns a Galaxy Watch 4 model.
A Tad Too Exclusive, But Still A Neat Trick
Galaxy Watch 4 users need to download the eponymous Walkie-Talkie app on their Wear OS 3-powered smartwatch from the Play Store to get started. Once it has been installed, a bunch of permissions will need to be granted, including access to the microphone, contacts, and calling, while location permission is optional. Samsung recommends that users should first test out the feature when the watch is connected to their smartphone.
Once the initial test run is over, the Galaxy Watch 4 can be used independently as a walkie talkie without having to stay connected to a phone. In order to communicate with another person through their Galaxy Watch 4, both devices first need to be paired, which happens after verifying the connection with a code. After a successful pairing, users simply need to hold down the mic button on the smartwatch’s screen to start talking. Samsung says that to create a walkie talkie channel, users need to grant location permission so that Bluetooth can be used to search for nearby friends.
Source: Walkie-Talkie/Google Play