Google has just announced that Google Maps will now work on Wear OS smartwatches with LTE connectivity even when they are not paired with a smartphone. That means Google Maps will now offer turn-by-turn navigation on Samsung’s LTE-enabled Wear OS smartwatches—Galaxy Watch 4, Galaxy Watch 4 Classic, Galaxy Watch 5, and Galaxy Watch 5 Pro—even when they are not connected to the phone they are paired with.
Needless to say, an LTE-enabled smartwatch also needs to have an active data plan for Google Maps to work independently when the smartwatch is not connected to a smartphone. According to Google, the ability for Google Maps to work in the standalone mode on LTE-enabled Wear OS watches is helpful when “you’re out for a run or ride and have left your phone behind but want to take a detour or need help finding your way home.”
Another nifty feature is that if you are mirroring turn-by-turn navigation from your smartphone to an LTE-enabled Wear OS smartwatch, and then for some reason your smartwatch gets disconnected from the smartphone, the watch will take over navigation from your phone so that you don’t lose the sight of Maps. That means, if you have an active data plan on your Wear OS watch, you’ll be able to use Google Maps anytime.
Google hasn’t revealed how it is enabling the new feature on LTE-enabled Wear OS smartwatches but we believe it will be through an update to the Google Maps app on your smartwatch.
