Our latest poll highlights the biggest reason why we buy smartwatches

What you need to know

• We asked our readers about the main reason why they purchased a smartwatch.
• Of the votes, 50% said that it was about the convenience that comes with owning a smartwatch.
• Fitness tracking came in second with 22% of votes, while health features came in third with 17%.

Over the weekend, we wanted to know why our readers purchased smartwatches. This came up based on a conversation we had in our last podcast about the state of Wear OS following the launch of the Galaxy Watch 4 and how it compares to WatchOS on the Apple Watch.

Out of more than 1500 responses, 50% said that convenience was the biggest reason for owning a smartwatch. This could refer to notifications, music controls, smart home controls, access to the virtual assistant, and more. This could even relate to fitness tracking, which received 22% of the votes, as untethered smartwatches are able to make phone calls and send texts without needing the phone nearby, a handy feature while on a run.

We received plenty of responses from our readers, letting us know why they purchase smartwatches. On Twitter, one reader says that their primary reason is the convenience of not pulling out their phone for every notification. The ability to change watch faces on the best Android smartwatches is also a plus, something you can't do on a traditional smartwatch.

Another reader on Facebook agrees that convenience is a major factor, especially during the height of the pandemic, and says this is especially true for features like contactless payments:

"I would argue that the biggest convenience beyond seeing messages is the payment function. This became especially good for me during the height of the pandemic when we weren't sure about touching things. Now, I use it all the time and haven't really carried cash in a long time as a result."

Others point out how they're suitable for fitness tracking, particularly devices from companies like Garmin that last for a week or more on a single charge, and how they make good style accessories. However, there's no denying that smartwatches have become much more useful as companies continue to pump more features into them and can significantly supplement your smartphone experience. This is likely what led to the rise in smartwatch sales in 2021.

Hopefully, Google can really take advantage of this momentum with the upcoming Wear OS 3 update.