One of the advantages of watches with WearOS is that they have access to the Google ecosystem. Featuring the Google Play Store and its huge catalog of apps and Google Maps, no login required. This app was also featured during Samsung’s Unpacked, as Google took the stage to announce an interesting innovation: offline mode.

To date, on watches with WearOS we can use Google Maps to get directions in real time, but this functionality requires that the watch is always connected to the mobile phone. This is not always possible and Google wants to solve in a future version.

No internet? Anyway, Google Maps works

Björn Kilbur, General Manager and Senior Director of WearOS at Google, had the opportunity to comment on the subject during the presentation of the Galaxy Watch5. news coming soon to WearOS. The most striking is the offline mode of Google Maps. According to Kilbur:

“By the end of the year, we’ll be making it so that you don’t need your phone to use Google Maps on your watch. That way, if you get lost during a race, you’ll be able to get home.”

How exactly will it work? Unknown. There are several options, and one of them is that you can download the maps on the watch itself, as it is already possible in the mobile application, but it is currently unknown. Regardless, meanwhile, it’s unusual for Samsung to debut its new smartwatches coming with WearOS 3.5.

Preview of the new Google Play Store in WearOS 3.5.

On the other hand, Google Refresh Google Play Store with new sections, to make it easier to find apps. Google Assistant will be more deeply integrated with apps like Spotify, and speaking of apps, Soundcloud and Deezer apps will also arrive shortly.