Whether it’s tracking your daily run or playing your favorite tunes during the morning commute, Galaxy wearables offer experiences that make everyday life brighter and richer. But that’s not all that they can do. Samsung’s smartwatches and earbuds also come with features that add convenience and simplicity to your daily routine. Here are four hidden features on Galaxy wearables you need to know about.
Smart Lock
Ever wished your smartphone could automatically unlock itself when you carry it around? With the Smart Lock1 feature, which was first made available with Android 5 in 2014, you can unlock your smartphone in situations and locations you feel secure in without entering a password or scanning your fingerprint.
The feature lets you keep your Galaxy smartphone unlocked when it’s connected to your Galaxy smartwatch or when you have your phone on you. To give you more ways to quickly access the apps you need, you can also choose to automatically unlock your smartphone in a safe location of your choice – like your home.
Buds Together
Music sounds better when you listen to it with friends. First introduced with Galaxy Buds Live, Buds Together2 makes it easy for you to share your favorite songs with others while enjoying the best sound quality.
To enable the feature, all you need to do is tap on the Music Share icon in your phone’s Quick Panel and select the earbuds you want to share with. Once the invitation is accepted on your friend’s device, you can listen to the same tune together on two separate pairs of Galaxy earbuds.
Auto Switch
Many of us use just one pair of earbuds with multiple devices. When you switch device, it’s often a hassle to disconnect and reconnect the Bluetooth connection. Wouldn’t it be great if your earbuds can do the switch automatically when you need them to?
Introduced with Galaxy Buds Pro, the Auto Switch feature3 seamlessly takes care of your Galaxy Buds Pro’s connection when you switch between devices. Let’s say you get a call on your Galaxy smartphone while you’re watching a movie on your Galaxy tablet. Instead of having to manually disconnect your earbuds from the tablet and pair them with your phone, the feature will automatically switch the Bluetooth connection over to your phone when you pick up the call.
Hand Wash
Personal hygiene is more important now than ever, especially when it comes to hand washing. But maintaining a regular handwashing routine can be challenging as we go about our daily lives.
Shortly following the rapid changes around the world last year, Samsung introduced the Hand Wash app on Galaxy smartwatches. The app provides a practical yet simple way to help you keep up with your handwashing routine. You can get started by setting up alarms in the app and receive reminders to wash your hands at regular intervals. Now with the latest update4, once you start washing your hands, your Galaxy smartwatch will automatically start a 25-second countdown, which is the World Health Organization’s recommended handwashing time. On the app’s dashboard, you can also keep track of how many times you have washed your hands during the day as well as review your handwashing habits on a weekly basis.
1 Available on Galaxy smartphones or tablets running Android 5 or above.
2 Available on Galaxy Buds, Galaxy Buds+, Galaxy Buds Live and Galaxy Buds Pro. The scanning feature is available on all devices supporting One UI 2.5 or later; the sharing feature is available on all devices supporting One UI 2.1 or later.
3 Available on Galaxy smartphones or tablets with One UI 3.1 or above, which can be turned on and off in the Bluetooth® setting. Requires the same Samsung account to be registered on the devices. Availability may vary by app.
4 Availability may vary by market, carrier or device. Requires the latest version of the Hand Wash app and the watch software, which will be progressively released to Galaxy Watch Active2 and Galaxy Watch3.