Google Messages for Wear OS will let you send voice memos

Abner Li | Sep 5 2023 - 10:36 am PT

Given the popularity of voice memos, Google Messages is bringing the ability to record and send to the Wear OS app.

Messages for Wear OS will let you record and send voice messages from your wrist “without reaching for your phone.” Google has yet to show off the UI, with the capability rolling out “over the next few weeks as availability expands.” The conversation interface will presumably be tweaked to add a dedicated button.

It’s unclear whether you will be able to listen to audio on your watch with this update. Playback is currently not supported, and users are prompted to “View file on phone.” What would be more useful is voice message transcription, which is available on phones today.

This capability comes as WhatsApp for Wear OS-supported voice memos launched with a dedicated tile to boot.

Meanwhile, we’ve spotted a big revamp of the voice recorder UI on Android phones. Other new Wear OS features that Google is choosing to highlight today include:

“We’ve expanded support for Google Wallet on your wrist to new regions including: Albania, Argentina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Isle of Man, Greenland, Faroe Islands, San Marino, and Colombia. See the full list of supported countries/regions here.”
“Google Maps for Wear OS now includes useful information about places such as opening hours and ratings information. You can also find noteworthy places around you, such as coffee shops or grocery stores, either by searching or tapping on pins on the map.”