Wear OS 4 seems to give Galaxy Watch support for Android’s upcoming ‘Watch Unlock’

Ben Schoon | Sep 1 2023 - 3:22 pm PT

Google announced early this year that Wear OS and Android would launch a new “Watch Unlock” feature that would allow smartwatches to keep your connected phone unlocked. In its latest update to Wear OS 4, Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 5 series seems to gain support for the upcoming feature, which, several months later, still has not launched.

“Watch Unlock” was initially announced as a feature for “eligible” Wear OS 3 watches, allowing for simplified unlock on a connected Android phone and/or Chromebook. At the time, Google said the feature would be called “Smart Lock,” but it’s since been renamed “Watch Unlock.”

Several months later, the feature still hasn’t gone live, but it probably isn’t too far off.

On X (formerly Twitter), Mishaal Rahman cites @armrods, who confirmed the presence of the necessary “com.google.android.clockwork.active_unlock” feature within the Wear OS 4 build currently rolling out to Galaxy Watch 5 devices. This same feature is noted on the Pixel Watch 2 in a Google Play Console listing we spotted last month, as well as on the Galaxy Watch 6.

This means that whenever Google goes live with this feature, Samsung’s smartwatches will be able to use it right alongside the Pixel Watch (and its sequel). What does that mean for other Wear OS watches? That’s still up in the air. Google has said since day one that this feature is only for “eligible” watches, and it’s unclear if that will ever include watches from Fossil, Mobvoi, and other brands.