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How to control your Android phone from Galaxy Watch 4 - Android Police

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

Although the app needs admin permissions on Android to function, it's an open source app, so you don't need to worry about it spying and stealing your data. Here's how to install SimpleWear on your Galaxy Watch 4 and control your phone.

How to control your phone from Galaxy Watch 4

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

Install the SimpleWear app on Galaxy Watch 4

  1. Swipe up from the bottom to open the app menu.
  2. Tap the Play Store icon to open it.
    swipe-up-for-app-menu
    tap-on-Google-play-store
  3. Tap the search icon and search for SimpleWear.
    tap-search-icon-in-play-store
    tap-the-simplewear-listing
  4. Install the SimpleWear app.
    tap-to-install-to-install-simplewear

Install SimpleWear on your Android device

  1. Head to the Google Play Store.
  2. Search for SimpleWear and tap install.
    open-play-store-search-for-simplewear
    tap-the-install-button
  3. Once installed, 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 releases page. Additionally, if you can't locate the SimpleWear companion app on the Google Play Store, fire up the app on your watch and tap the blue icon with a Phone and arrow. This opens the app page on the Google Play Store on your phone.

How to set up SimpleWear

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

  1. Launch SimpleWear.
  2. Allow all permissions.
  3. The Pair with WearOS device permission might require you to tap the Allow your watch to be shown to other Bluetooth devices for 30 minutes option on the watch. Once enabled, your watch shows up on the app.
    allow-watch-to-appear-for-30-seconds
    SimpleWear-choose-a-smartwatch
  4. The Lock Screen permission requires you to give admin rights to the app, and the rest can be allowed using on-screen popups.
    SimpleWear-admin-access
    SimpleWear-modify-system-settings-permission

Now that we're done setting up, 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 the SimpleWear app on your watch.
  2. Tap the tiles under the Actions menu to enable or disable features.
    simplewear-actions-menu
    simplewear-actions-menu-tiles
  3. To change the default grid view to a list layout, tap the three-dot icon or swipe up to open the apps' settings.
    simplewear-actions-layout
    Simplewear-grid-view
  4. The settings menu also houses the Dashboard and Tile Editors. You can add a tile. However, you may not use it much as Samsung's quick settings have more tiles. Here's what SimpleWear's tile looks like compared to Samsung's comprehensive three-page quick settings options.
    Samsung-default-quick-settings
    Simplewear-wear-os-tile

Here's everything you can control using the app:

  • Enable and disable Wi-Fi, Hotspot, and Bluetooth.
  • Turn the flashlight on and off.
  • Instantly lock the screen.
  • Turn Do not Disturb on and off.
  • Switch to Ringer, Vibrate, or Silent mode.
  • Play media from the audio apps on your phone.
  • Open apps from the watch.
  • Control brightness and set it to auto.

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

You can also enable and disable mobile data and location. To do so, connect your phone to a computer and run a couple of 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 meant to eliminate frequent phone usage. There are many things Wear OS gets right, like receiving and making calls and text messages, controlling music, and syncing supported apps. Still, SimpleWear gives great insight into the other tiny, but impactful ecosystem features Google could bring to the platform to make it better.

If you recently bought a Wear OS smartwatch, and it's your first time using the platform, there are a few tips and tricks to improve your Wear OS experience. The Google Pixel watch is a great opportunity to improve the Google ecosystem, and so far, it looks promising.

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