Edit 3/15/22 1:45 PM ET: Fossil confirms rollout, Alexa only available on Gen 6 smartwatches.
What you need to know
- Select Wear OS smartwatches now have access to Amazon Alexa.
- The app allows users one-tap access to the smart assistant directly from the smartwatch.
- Users can add Alexa as a tile or set Alexa as a button shortcut for quicker access.
- Fossil hopes to expand Alexa features on both the tile and the app.
When the Skagen Falster Gen 6 was launched, Fossil Group teased the availability of Alexa on its smartwatches. The app has technically been there, but it has remained unusable — until now. Users noticed last week (via 9to5Google) that the Alexa app is now active and available for use on some of the best Wear OS watches from Fossil Group, and the company has now confirmed its rollout.
Once you open the app, you're taken through the initial setup process, which includes giving the app certain permissions, such as making and managing phone calls. Once you connect your smartwatch via the Alexa app on the best Android phones, you'll be free to use the app on your smartwatch.
Functionality is pretty simple. There's no always-listening functionality here, so you'll have to bear with one-tap access. Still, you'll be able to ask Alexa to play music, provide the weather forecast, control smart home devices, dial your phone in case you may need help locating it, and more.
While there's no always-listening capability for the Alexa app, the setup process prompts you to set Alexa as a hardware button shortcut for quick access. However, for those that are satisfied with their current shortcut setup, there's also a basic Alexa tile that should suffice. Fossil Group says that it "looks forward to expanding the functionality of both the Tile and App," although did not go into detail on its plans.
Bringing Alexa to Wear OS means that now users can access more than one smart assistant from their Wear OS watches, in case Google Assistant isn't their cup of tea. The Galaxy Watch 4 uses Bixby but will include Google Assistant via a future update.
The Alexa app should be available on newer smartwatches from Fossil Group, including the Skagen Falster Gen 6 and Michael Kors Gen 6 smartwatch. Unfortunately, Fossil's announcement notes that the app is only available on Fossil Groups Gen 6 smartwatches, so it doesn't sound like it will be available on older watches.
