Skip to main content

How to add the Google Assistant to your Samsung Galaxy Watch

Someone wearing the Galaxy Watch 5, looking at the app drawer.
Galaxy Watch 5 Joe Maring/Digital Trends

The new Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 5 Pro are here, and they're the hot new Android smartwatches to buy. They're not a huge upgrade from the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 4 Classic, but Samsung has made enough changes to make choosing the new watches over the old worthwhile. The Classic model is out, replaced with a Pro model that's geared for outdoor enthusiasts, with enhanced durability and boosted GPX navigation data. The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 gets Google Assistant, at last.

Recommended Videos

Difficulty

Easy

Duration

10 minutes

What You Need

  • Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 or newer

You can also access an AI voice assistant using it, making it a handy way to control your smart network. But, since it's a Samsung product, it's loaded with Samsung's Bixby voice assistant by default. If you're not a Bixby user, you might want to swap it to something you do use, like the Google Assistant. Thankfully, you can. Here's how to add Google Assistant to your Samsung Galaxy Watch.

Installing Google Assistant

Google Assistant doesn't come automatically installed on your watch. Instead, you're going to have to install it yourself.

Step 1: Swipe up to open your App drawer, and select Play Store.

Step 2: Search for "Google Assistant" using the search function. If you have the Google Assistant app installed on your phone, then you can use the Apps on your phone screen to find the Google Assistant app.

Step 3: Tap to Download or Update the Assistant app.

Activating Google Assistant

Downloading the app is only the start. You'll have to activate it before you can do anything with it. Here's how to get it started.

Step 1: Open the Assistant app and choose Get started.

Step 2: You'll need to pivot to your phone at this point, so select Open on phone to activate and open your phone.

Step 3: Your phone will start setting up the Assistant on your watch. Wait until it's done, and then choose Activate to turn it on.

Step 4: If you want to access your Assistant using "Hey Google," select Next on the next screen, then I agree to agree to using Voice Match. Otherwise, choose Skip.

Step 5: There are a few more steps after this. Just choose whether you want to save audio to share with Google (or not) and get personal results on your watch.

Step 6: Next, it'll ask you to change your watch's button to quickly access the Assistant. We'll cover this in the next step, don't worry.

Changing the Home key binding on your watch

So, you can probably access Google Assistant by speaking the hotword, but you can also change the Galaxy Watch's Home key to access the Assistant. By default, it summons Bixby, which is probably not your voice assistant of choice (sorry Bixby, but it's true), so why not change it? There are two ways of changing it. Here's how to do it on your watch.

Step 1: Open your Settings app by swiping down on the Home page and selecting the Cog wheel symbol.

Step 2: Navigate down and select Advanced features, then Customize keys.

Step 3: Choose Press and hold, and then choose Assistant.

Step 4: Feel free to press and hold the Home button to test your Assistant. If you're not sure what to say, ask, "Can you rap?"

Changing the Home key binding on your phone

If you don't fancy pawing through menu screens on your watch's tiny screen, you can change the setting on your phone instead. Here's how.

Step 1: Open your Galaxy Wearables app, and select Watch settings.

Step 2: Move down to Advanced features, and then choose Press and hold.

Step 3: Select Assistant.

Mark Jansen
Mobile Evergreen Editor
Mark Jansen is an avid follower of everything that beeps, bloops, or makes pretty lights. He has a degree in Ancient &…
The Apple Watch SE and Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 are both on sale
Man wearing the Apple Watch SE 2 and typing on a MacBook.

When it comes to smartwatches, two of the best brands on the market are Apple and Samsung. The Apple Watch and Samsung Galaxy lineup are both made up of numerous models with attractive designs, exciting features, and pretty reasonable prices. But it’s our job to watch out for the latest and greatest smartwatch promos, and as luck would have it, both the Apple Watch SE (2nd Gen) and Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 are on sale at Best Buy!
Apple Watch SE (2nd Gen with GPS, 40mm) — $162 $250 35% off

Sleek and stylish, the second generation of the Apple Watch SE brings several meaningful changes to the table, including an enhanced processor, improved battery (up to 18 hours on a full charge), and an incredible selection of apps to choose from. The SE 2nd Gen also comes with 32GB of storage and a WR50 water resistance rating, which means the watch can be submerged in up to 164 feet of water for short periods.

Read more
How I fell in love with the massive Galaxy Watch Ultra
A person wearing the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra.

I put the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra back on when I started reviewing the Galaxy S25 Ultra, and it has mostly stayed on my wrist since then. I did so as a way to test Galaxy AI’s Now Brief feature, but have come out the other side head-over-heels in love with Samsung’s biggest, maddest smartwatch. Here’s what happened.
I missed the other Ultra

Upon accepting my newfound love of the Galaxy Watch Ultra, I tried to understand where my infatuation came from, and remembered a pivotal moment. When I bought my titanium Apple Watch Series 10, I used the original Apple Watch Ultra as a trade-in to offset the eye-watering cost. I knew I’d miss the Apple Watch Ultra when I traded it in, but the brilliant Apple Watch Series 10 made me forget any angst quite quickly.

Read more
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. Google Pixel 9 Pro XL: Clash of titans
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra colors

Now that the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra has been out for a month, you might be enticed to get the top tier model in the latest line of the flagship Samsung Galaxy series. It's accompanied by its trusty S Pen, carved with beautifully rounded corners, and every feature is powered by Galaxy AI, including the distraction-free Now Brief and picture-perfect ProScaler. Meanwhile, the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL, the first XL phone in the Google Pixel series since 2019, has a larger-than-life screen and bears a redesigned camera bar.

Both phones run on Android, but they're worlds apart in terms of appearance and the features they have. But which one will you choose? Let us save you the time-consuming dilemma with this side-by-side guide to help you make this important decision.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. Pixel 9 Pro XL: specs

Read more