Garmin Launches WhatsApp App for Select Smartwatches

Garmin has launched an official WhatsApp app for select smartwatches, enabling users to read, reply to messages, and manage calls directly from their wrists. The free application became available this week through the Garmin Connect IQ store, marking a significant expansion of communication features for the company's fitness-oriented wearables.

The app integrates WhatsApp's core messaging functions into compatible Garmin devices, allowing wearers to view the 10 most recent individual or group chats and up to 10 messages within each. Users can respond using the watch's built-in keyboard, send emojis, and view reactions to messages. Incoming calls from WhatsApp appear on the watch face, with options to decline them. All communications maintain WhatsApp's standard end-to-end encryption, ensuring privacy between sender and recipient. To set up the app, users scan a QR code displayed on the watch using their smartphone's camera, after which Bluetooth connectivity links the devices.

However, the functionality requires a paired smartphone with WhatsApp installed and an active Bluetooth connection, as most Garmin watches lack built-in cellular service. This setup positions the watch as...