5 Secret Features of Galaxy Watch You Should Know

Samsung’s Galaxy Watches are among the most feature-loaded smartwatches on the market, so much so that it can be difficult for users to explore every option. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of five hidden features every Galaxy Watch owner should know about.

Lock Your Galaxy Watch’s Screen

Whether you want to keep your personal data safe or want to use Samsung Pay Your Galaxy WatchYou can lock the smartwatch so that it requires a pin or password to unlock.

On your Galaxy Watch, go to Settings > Security & privacy and select Lock Type.

On the next screen, choose the lock type from two options: pattern (medium security) or PIN (medium-high security).

After selecting an option, draw the pattern or enter password on the next screen. Re-enter the pattern or password to confirm and set as screen lock.

This is it. You will now need to enter the passcode once after wearing the smartwatch and this will keep it unlocked unless you take it off. This feature can be useful, especially Use your Galaxy Watch to pay.

Activate Wrist Gestures

Apart from general inputs, Galaxy Watch supports many wrist movements. Once enabled, you can use these gestures for many different things, like answering calls, dismissing notifications or alarm alerts, or launching a specific app.

To set up wrist gestures, go to Settings > Advanced Features and scroll down to the Gestures section. You have three options: Answer calls, Turn off alerts and calls, and Quick launch.

The first option, Answer Calls, Allows you to answer incoming calls You can move your forearm up and down twice directly from the Galaxy Watch Active (when your arm is raised, usually in the position where you check the time or other notifications).

The second gesture requires you to rotate your wrist twice to reject an incoming call or dismiss other notifications (including alarms).

The third gesture option allows you to flex your wrist twice to open the set app or tracking feature.

Enable Hourly Chime to Keep Track of Time

Remember how digital clocks make a sound every hour? I thought it was a great feature to be able to keep track of the time without even looking at the clock. If you also miss the hourly ringtone, you’re in luck. Galaxy Watch supports this feature. It is hidden deep in the system settings, but we will still help you find it.

Go to Settings > Sound & Vibration, scroll down and select System Sounds.

Scroll a little until you see the Hourly ring option in the menu below and tap the toggle to enable it.

Now your Galaxy Watch will play a sound every hour.

Limit Notifications on Your Galaxy Watch

If you’re tired of receiving notifications from dozens of apps on your smartphone, here’s a quick way to limit them. You can use this feature to take control of the alerts that appear on your Galaxy Watch Active and keep the notifications section organized.

Open Galaxy Wearable app on your smartphone and tap Clock Settings.

On the next screen, select Notifications.

Now select App Notifications (at the top of the screen).

You will see a list with all the applications installed on your smartphone. First, disable the “All apps” option at the top of the list.

Then browse through the list and enable notifications from the apps you really want to see on your wrist.

Customize Home and Back Buttons

By default, double-pressing the home button opens the last app you used on your Galaxy Watch, and holding it down opens the Boxby voice assistant. Similarly, pressing the side button takes you to the previous screen; acts as a back button. But you can change the function of these buttons and set them to something you prefer.

Go to Settings > Advanced Features and select Customize Buttons.

Tap Double Press below the Home button.

Choose what the button should do from the invoked features (go to the latest app, accessibility shortcuts, or My workouts. Alternatively, you can use the action to open an app of your choice.

Double-tapping the home button has many customization options, while holding down the home button also Brings up Bixby (by default) or shutdown menu.

By default, pressing the side button returns to the previous screen, but you can change this to show recent apps.

If you’re on the hunt for a new smartwatch, consider checking out our detailed comparisons of smartwatches. Galaxy Watch 7 and Apple Watch Series 10 and between Galaxy Watch Ultra and Apple Watch Ultra 2.