The Google Pixel Watch and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 5 are the most popular Android smartwatches on the market. In addition to numerous health-oriented features, these wearables also allow you to make or receive calls directly. This way you don’t have to reach for your phone when a call comes in. Check out the guide below on how to make calls on the Google Pixel Watch, Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 and Watch 4 series.
Calling with the Google Pixel Watch
Follow these steps to call one of your contacts or someone who is not in your phone book:
- Press the crown of the Pixel Watch to open the app drawer.
- Open the Telephone app.
- Select Recent or Favorites to call a recent contact or a contact marked as favorite.
- Select the contact to call.
- Press phone call icon next to their number.
- Select to call a number Keypad from the Phone app.
- Enter the number you want to call.
- press the phone call icon to start the call.
- Tap the red call end icon to end the call on your Pixel Watch. There is also the option to mute the conversation.
Accept the incoming call with the smartwatch if you want to have a conversation directly on the Pixel Watch without picking up your phone.
You can make calls through your Google Pixel Watch, even if you have a non-LTE Pixel variant, when you’re close to your smartphone. The LTE model allows you to make and receive calls when the watch is not connected to the paired smartphone.
Calling with the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 or Watch 5
The calling process is the same on the Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 5, regardless of whether the watch is paired with a Samsung or non-Galaxy smartphone, and whether it’s the Bluetooth or LTE variant.
- Swipe up on the watch face of your Galaxy smartwatch to open the app drawer.
- Open the Telephone app. Your recent incoming, outgoing and missed calls are displayed. This data is taken from your phone’s call log.
- Press Contacts icon at the top to call a number saved in your phonebook. The list of your favorite contacts is displayed, followed by your entire phonebook.
- Select the contact you want to call followed by the phone call icon. Select Message if you want to text the contact instead of calling them.
- Select the to choose a number voter icon at the top of the screen in the phone app.
- Enter the number you want to call.
- Tap the green phone call button to start the call.
The speaker on most smartwatches isn’t loud enough. So you may have difficulty listening to the other party in a noisy environment. Make sure to turn up the volume of the watch’s speaker to full to make it as loud as possible.
On non-LTE Galaxy Watch variants, the smartwatch must be connected to the paired phone for the call to go through.
You can switch between your phone and smartwatch during a call. On your smartwatch, tap the three-dot button and select the Switch to phone choice. Similarly, choose the Galaxy Watch as the output source of the ongoing calls screen on your phone.
Make calls on your smartwatch with Google Assistant
The fastest way to make calls from your Pixel Watch or Galaxy Watch is to use the Google Assistant. If “Hey, Google” detection is enabled, say the hotword to bring up the assistant. Continue with the command “Call
Wait a few seconds for the Google Assistant to call the contact you mentioned. With Assistant on the smartwatch, you can have the conversation on your wearable without using your phone.
You cannot make VoIP calls via WhatsApp or Telegram from your smartwatch. You also can’t take incoming VoIP calls from the Pixel Watch or Galaxy Watch. However, your watch can vibrate to notify you of incoming calls.
Get an LTE-enabled smartwatch to make your life better
If you make a lot of calls or receive calls using your smartwatch, consider getting the Pixel Watch or Galaxy Watch with LTE connectivity. This way you can make or receive calls when the smartwatch is not connected to your phone. If you just got a new Pixel Watch, Galaxy Watch 4 or Watch 5, check out our roundup of the best Wear OS tips and tricks to get the most out of your smartwatch.