How to control your Android phone from Galaxy Watch 4

One reason people buy a smartwatch is to reduce the time they spend on smartphones. While most smartwatches do an excellent job of doing this, they lack controls like turning devices on and off, e.g. B. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, the flashlight and hotspots, for which you may need to unlock your device. Then all it takes is an Instagram notification that leads to minutes to hours of endless scrolling. However, if you own one of the best Wear OS smartwatches, the Galaxy Watch 4, or a wearable running Wear OS, use an app called SimpleWear to toggle and control phone functions from your watch.

Although the app needs admin permissions on Android to work, it is an open source app so you don’t have to worry about it spying and stealing your data. How to install SimpleWear on your Galaxy Watch 4 and control your phone.

How to control your phone from the Galaxy Watch 4

There are two parts to this: installing SimpleWear on your Galaxy Watch 4 and your phone, and granting all permissions in the companion app.

Install the SimpleWear app on the Galaxy Watch 4

1. Swipe up from the bottom to open the app menu.
2. Tap the Load game icon to open it.

3. Tap the Seek icon and search for Just wear.

4. To install the Just wear apartment

Install SimpleWear on your Android device

1. Go to Google play store.
2. Search for Just wear and type To install.

3. After installation, tap Open.

If you don’t see SimpleWear on the Play Store, download and install its APK without the Google Play Store or from the official GitHub release page. If you can’t find the SimpleWear companion app in the Google Play Store, launch the app on your watch and tap the blue icon with a phone and an arrow. This will open the app page in the Google Play Store on your phone.

How to set up SimpleWear

Once you’ve installed the app on both devices, it’s time to start the setup process. All you have to do is follow the instructions in the companion app and you’ll be controlling your phone in no time.

1. begin Just wear.
2. Allow all permissions.
3. That Pair with WearOS device Permission may require you to tap Allow your watch to be seen by other Bluetooth devices for 30 minutes options on the clock. After activation, your watch will appear in the app.

4. That Lock Screen Permission requires you to grant admin privileges to the app and the rest can allow use screen pop-ups.

Now that we’ve completed the setup, here’s how to use the SimpleWear app on the Galaxy Watch 4.

How to use the SimpleWear app

Now that the watch is connected to the phone, here’s how to use SimpleWear to control your Android device from your Galaxy Watch 4.

1. open that Just wear app on your watch.
2. Tap the tiles under the Actions Menu for enabling or disabling features.

3. To change it To change the default grid view to a list layout, tap the three-dot icon or swipe up to open the apps settings.

4. The settings menu also includes the dashboard and tile editors. You can add a tile. You might not use it much, however, as Samsung’s quick settings feature more tiles. Here’s how SimpleWear’s tile compares to Samsung’s comprehensive three-page Quick Settings options.

Here’s everything you can control with the app:

• Turn Wi-Fi, hotspot, and Bluetooth on and off.
• Turn the flashlight on and off.
• Lock the screen immediately.
• Turn Do Not Disturb on and off.
• Switch to ringtone, vibrate or silent mode.
• Play media from the audio apps on your phone.
• Open apps from the watch.
• Check the brightness and set it to Auto.

If you turn off your phone’s Bluetooth from the watch, the app will still sync your phone, provided your watch is connected to the same Wi-Fi network as your phone.

You can also turn mobile data and location on and off. To do this, connect your phone to a computer and run some ADB commands. Follow the official guide on GitHub to grant SimpleWear access to the WRITE_SECURE_SETTING permission.

SimpleWear highlights Google’s ecosystem problem

A smartwatch is designed to eliminate frequent phone calls. There are many things Wear OS does right, like receiving and making calls and texts, controlling music, and syncing supported apps. Still, SimpleWear gives a great glimpse into the other tiny but impactful ecosystem features that Google could bring to the platform to improve it.

If you’ve recently purchased a Wear OS smartwatch and are new to the platform, there are a few tips and tricks to enhance your Wear OS experience. The Google Pixel watch is a great opportunity to improve the Google ecosystem and so far it’s looking promising.