Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 4 was an thrilling growth in Android smartwatches as a result of it introduced Samsung and Google collectively to make Google’s watch software program platform higher. But, weirdly, the very best Android watch lacked a significant Android characteristic: Google Assistant. Samsung at this time stated that’s about to alter.

The final time Samsung supplied direct entry to Google in your wrist was the Samsung Gear Live in 2014, which ran on Google’s Android Wear platform and featured a rectangle watch face. After that, Samsung switched to its proprietary Tizen software program for its watches, and thereby its personal Bixby assistant. But final yr, Samsung introduced it was returning to Android Wear, now often known as Wear OS 3. But Google Assistant was nowhere to be discovered—watch homeowners have needed to depend on Bixby for months now. Annoyingly, Samsung nonetheless hasn’t dedicated to a timeline for including Google Assistant, saying solely that it might arrive within the “coming months.”

The Google Assistant will reside alongside the Bixby digital assistant, and also you’ll doubtless have the ability to swap between the 2, much like how one can change between the Samsung keyboard app and the Gboard keyboard app.

The Galaxy Watch 4 may also help Android app installs immediately from the smartphone. Currently, you must obtain Wear OS apps by the watch interface. There isn’t any backup system for these apps on the Samsung watches both, so I’m hoping I’ll have the ability to again these up with the Wear app on my smartphone.

More Galaxy Watch 4 Features On the Way

While it might be awhile nonetheless earlier than Google Assistant lands on the Galaxy Watch 4 or Galaxy Watch 4 Classic, watch homeowners can sit up for getting a software program replace this week full of new options, together with new physique composition options, superior interval coaching, and a brand new sleep teaching program, plus new watch faces and straps.

The physique composition replace contains extra perception into your general progress powered by Chris Hemsworth’s Centr—sure, I’m speaking about muscle-man Thor from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Galaxy Watch 4 customers will get a 30-day free trial of the app, which affords self-guided exercises for all health ranges.

If you’re a faithful runner or bicycle owner, now you should use the Galaxy Watch 4 to set interval targets throughout coaching. You can choose the length, distance, and the variety of units. The Galaxy Watch 4 may also information you thru a customized depth coaching session, which Samsung says will make “for an impactful and targeted workout every time.”

If you’re like me and you’ve got hassle sleeping, perhaps you’ll profit from the Galaxy Watch 4’s new sleep teaching program. It makes ideas primarily based in your precise sleep knowledge. All you must do is put on the smartwatch to mattress each evening for per week, then fill out a sleep survey—presumably by the Samsung Health app—after which Samsung will deal with the remainder. You may even sync up along with your SmartThings-connected good bulbs to show them off when it’s time for slumber.

The sleep program may also assign you one among eight “sleep symbol animals” to categorize your sleeping habits. It ranges wherever from an “unconcerned lion” (have to be good) to an “exhausted shark.” (That’s in all probability me.) There’s additionally a “sun averse mole” designation, which I’m assuming refers to of us with night-time itineraries.

I haven’t tried any third-party watch straps on my Galaxy Watch 4 as a result of I haven’t discovered something I favored. Samsung is providing new strap colours, together with burgundy and cream, each of which I believe would pair properly with the rose gold variant of the watch that I put on day by day. Samsung can also be launching a material band for lively customers and a hyperlink bracelet for sophisticated sorts. There shall be new watch faces to accompany all these seems to be. The new watch straps shall be out there later this month.

Lastly, if you happen to’ve managed to search out your strategy to YouTube Music after Google shut down Google Play Music, you’ll have the ability to stream music over wifi or LTE to your Galaxy Watch 4 with out your smartphone. That capability is coming quickly by a further replace.

The software program replace shall be out there by the Galaxy Wearable app on Feb. 9—the identical day we’ll study Samsung’s new flagship telephones.