Wear OS smartwatches are getting a great free WhatsApp upgrade

When it comes to the best smartwatches, there are two main options. Either, you opt for an Apple Watch, or you plump for one of the many Wear OS-based smartwatches, like the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 or the Google Pixel Watch.

For users of Wear OS devices, there's a great upgrade coming. WhatsApp has famously been missing from the operating system, but that could all be about to change, as details of beta testing for the app have emerged.

As reported by 9to5Google, the app works pretty much exactly as you'd expect it to. Conversations can be scrolled through, with replies possible with either an on-screen keyboard or a voice note.

There are also several prompts to open on your phone, perhaps owing to the easier keyboard formatting on a larger device. There are a trio of complications on offer, too. 

The standard complication offers a circular dial, which simply increases to show the number of unread messages a user has. The number is also displayed in the centre of the complication. Elsewhere, a WhatsApp Contacts tile allows users to jump straight to an individual conversation, while WhatsApp Voice Message allows you to instantly start an audio recording to send to a contact.

Personally, I think this is a great upgrade, and comes not a moment too soon. WhatsApp is a massively popular messaging client, and not having it available is a big mark against Wear OS devices.

Having it included will be a big improvement, and should make Android smartwatches a more compelling option against devices like the Apple Watch Series 8. There are no details of a public launch date right now, but the beta testing suggests it shouldn't be too far away.