Galaxy Watch4, Google Assistant Support Starts Today

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-sun] Samsung Electronics' 'Galaxy Watch4' now supports Google's voice assistant service, 'Google Assistant.' On the 24th, Samsung Electronics announced that it would support Google Assistant for Galaxy Watch4 users. Google Assistant provides high usability and convenience even while on the move, based on fast and natural voice conversations. It is available in 10 markets including Korea, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Taiwan, and Australia. It supports 12 languages including Korean, English, French, Spanish, Danish, Japanese, and Taiwanese. Samsung Electronics developed the wearable device-specific operating system (OS) 'Wear OS' in collaboration with Google and installed it on the Galaxy Watch4.

Galaxy Watch4 users can download and use apps such as 'YouTube Music' and 'Google Maps' from 'Google Play.' Samsung Electronics plans to strengthen its partnership with Google. Google has stated that its 'Look and Talk' service, equipped with natural language conversation capabilities, could evolve into an artificial intelligence (AI) assistant in the future. The Galaxy Watch4's feature upgrades are also ongoing. In February, Samsung Electronics enhanced comprehensive health management functions such as an 'Interval Training Program,' improved fitness features, sleep coaching programs, and body composition insights through a software update. New features including various watch faces were also added.

According to market research firm Counterpoint Research, global smartwatch shipments exceeded 100 million units for the first time last year, reaching 127.5 million units. Galaxy Watch's market share rose by 1.3 percentage points (p) year-on-year to 10.2%, surpassing Huawei to take second place. Apple, ranked first, recorded a decrease from 32.9% to 30.1%, down 2.8 percentage points. Google's smartwatch OS market share also increased. In the same year, Google's 'Wear OS' market share rose by 7 percentage points over one year to 10%.