Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Smart Home
  3. News

WearOS is terrible at controlling your smart home. WatchOS does it better

John Velasco
By

Controlling the smart home is mainly achieved in one of two ways. Using the digital assistant on your smartphone or smart speaker, or accessing the appropriate app on your mobile device. While it’s not as frequently used as the other options, you can also leverage smartwatches.

Given how smartwatches have been around for some time, you’d think they’d have a deeper integration with the smart home. But, after I put a couple of them to the test to uncover what they can achieve, I realize there’s certainly room improvement.

Recommended Videos

Still all about the voice assistants

Whether you’re using an Apple Watch, or any available WearOS smartwatches around, digital voice assistants are still the primary way of controlling the smart home with a smartwatch. It’s honestly not a shocker, given how we’ve come to rely on our digital voice assistants for just about everything in our lives. Plus, it’s just convenient to sit back on the sofa and tell Alexa, Google Assistant, or even Siri to turn on the lights.

Related
Controlling smart home with Apple Watch

As I’ve come to realize, though, there are certain situations when yelling out a command to my smart speaker isn’t practical. When someone is napping nearby, for example, you really shouldn’t be barking out a command, which is why I prefer whispering to my smartwatch instead. When my smartphone is out of reach, of course.

Fundamentally, there’s no difference between using my smart display or smartwatch. The actions are the same.

WatchOS or WearOS: Which is better?

After putting the Apple Watch Series 3 and Oppo Watch through some testing, I’m inclined to give the former the nod — partly because there are Apple Watch optimized apps that control the smart home.

Philips Hue light bulbs are extremely popular, so you’d expect at the very least that a platform as notable as it would have a WearOS app, but sadly that’s not the case. In fact, out of the handful of smart home related apps installed on my Android smartphone, there was only a single one with an accompanying WearOS app — Xiaomi’s Yeelight, which allows me to control the lights and other lamps in my office.

Even more shocking is the fact that there isn’t a native WearOS app to access Google’s very own Home app for Android. It’s this sort of problem that exposes the systemic problem with smartwatches, seeing that they’re treated more as companions than dedicated devices. The Oppo Watch is no different, despite its impressive hardware, stylish design, and on-the-go LTE connectivity. Sure, I still get notifications about motion detection from a sensor in my home, but I want actionable controls more so than just notifications.

Controlling smart home with Oppo Watch
The Oppo Watch is an impressive looking smartwatch, but WearOS lacks the deeper smart home integration found with Apple’s WatchOS.

Apple’s WatchOS has its merits, not only because it seems to offer more smartwatch optimized apps that can control the smart home, but also because it natively features Apple’s Home app. Meaning, any and all HomeKit connected gadgets in my home can be controlled by the app on the Apple Watch. I have my Philips Hue light bulbs connected to it, as well as an Eve Energy Strip. Beyond the Home app, there are considerably more dedicated WatchOS apps that I have access to, such as Philips Hue, SimpliSafe, LIFX, Mi Home, Scout, and many more.

I’m frankly astounded to see the disparity between the two platforms. Apple smartwatch provides a solid array of useful smart home apps, but the same can’t be said about Google and WearOS.

Companions first and foremost

Smartwatches are still treated as companion devices more than anything else. Rightfully so, just because chances are your smartphone is always around wherever you go. They’re meant to complement our smartphones, not replace them. However, it’s apparent that Apple is significantly ahead of the pack with treating its smartwatch more as a dedicated gadget.

Google and Apple have shown us how they’re eager to provide accessible smart home controls to its users, evident by the new features in tow with the next iteration of both mobile platforms. I’m hoping to expect the same level of attention on their respective smartwatch platforms because I’m more likely to leave my phone behind in a rush. It’d be nice to have some controls at my disposal in the event when I don’t have access to my smartphone.

Want more news, reviews, guides, and features from Digital Trends? Follow us on Apple News, Google News, and Flipboard.

More on controlling the smart home

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
John Velasco
John Velasco
Former Digital Trends Contributor
John is the Smart Home editor at Digital Trends covering all of the latest tech in this emerging market. From uncovering some…
Will your Apple Watch get WatchOS 9? Here are the compatible models
Car crash detection on Apple Watch Series 8.

Apple took the stage at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on June 6 to unveil WatchOS 9, the next big update to the operating system for the Apple Watch. Following several months in beta, WatchOS 9 was officially made available on September 12, along with the Apple Watch Series 8.

This also marks the first time in two years that Apple is dropping support for an older Apple Watch model in a new WatchOS release. The Apple Watch Series 3, which made its debut alongside the iPhone 7 in 2017, isn’t making the cut this year. So, if you plan to upgrade to WatchOS 9, you’ll need an Apple Watch Series 4 or later. This includes the Apple Watch SE, released alongside the Apple Watch Series 6 in 2020. Let's take a closer look.
The end of an era

Read more
Fluid One gives you point-and-click control of your smart home, from your smartphone
Fluid One app showing the AR room map and devices.

Ever wished you could use your smartphone to control your smart home, beyond just pulling up an app to turn something on or off? We're now starting to see companies create actual functionality around the Matter initiative. Fluid, a relative newcomer to the smart home field, is building a service on top of Matter to allow you to control smart devices around your home simply by pointing your phone at the device.

Fluid calls this new service Fluid One. You can point your phone at a device, and it will automatically and immediately show you options to control said device. The service also allows for location-based automation and gesture controls. For example, imagine walking around your home and having lights automatically turning on or off depending on how close you are to them.

Read more
Montblanc’s newest smartwatch has Wear OS 3 and costs nearly $1,300
montblanc summit 3 smartwatch wear os launch price mont blanc

German luxury brand Montblanc has added a new smartwatch to its portfolio, the Summit 3, targeted at a deep-pocket audience that can shell out $1,300 for one of its timepieces. But what’s truly remarkable about the smartwatch, aside from its eye-watering price tag, is that it runs Wear OS 3 — the latest (and inexplicably delayed) version of Google’s reworked smartwatch operating system.

Wear OS 3 was officially revealed over a year ago, but so far, it has remained exclusive to the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 and its pricier Classic sibling. The upcoming Pixel Watch will run the latest software update, and Google has confirmed that Wear OS 3 will also land on Fossil Group smartwatches such as the Fossil Gen 6, Michael Kors Gen 6, and Skagen Falster Gen 6. Wear OS 3 is also confirmed for the TicWatch Pro 3 and E3 from Mobvoi.

Read more