Samsung Galaxy Watches, like the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic and the upcoming Galaxy Watch 9, come with many useful features for drivers, like the ability to store digital car keys and quickly check notifications without touching your phone.
But there are also Galaxy Watch apps available that can work with your car, allowing you to remotely control vehicle functions and controls, like sounding your horn or turning on your lights, checking your EV’s battery status, and even setting up automations.
Below, we’ve rounded up four Galaxy Watch apps that can work with your car, either directly through Wear OS or through a compatible smartphone. However, note that the ability to use these Galaxy Watch car apps and the features available will depend on the model and make of your car and, in some cases, the subscription plan you have subscribed to.
Toyota
The Toyota app’s Remote Connect technology allows you to control certain vehicle features (for compatible vehicles) from your Galaxy smartwatch, including locking and unlocking the doors. All you need is a Remote Connect compatible Toyota model and a Galaxy Watch running Android Wear 8.0 or higher. Additionally, you need an active Toyota subscription plan. Available for select Toyota vehicles, the company offers three main subscription plans, which start at $15 per month and include additional features such as streaming integration or navigation assistance. All plans include Remote Connect as standard, which is required to control your car via your Galaxy Watch. Fortunately, most new models come with a one-year free trial.
Once these requirements are met, you can set up Remote Connect on your Galaxy Watch. To do this, download the free Toyota app from the Google Play Store on your smartphone, log in to your account and make sure Remote Connect is active. Pair your smartwatch with your phone using the Wear OS app, download the Toyota app to your watch and follow the setup instructions. To use Remote Connect features through your watch, make sure you maintain a stable Bluetooth connection between your phone and your watch.
Drivers can use the smartwatch app to remotely stop and start the car, lock and unlock the doors, and use vehicle status and search features. However, since it is a companion to the smartphone app, not all features are available on the smartwatch, such as the ability to monitor guest drivers.
Ford
The Ford app (formerly known as Ford Pass) gives owners of Fords equipped with a built-in modem – like the upcoming $30,000 Ford Fathom – direct access to some remote controls, including activating their car’s horn and lights, and information, like charging status, through their smartwatch.
To use these controls, drivers must have the Ford app downloaded to their smartphone (running Android 10 or higher), that smartphone must be connected to their Galaxy Watch via Bluetooth, a compatible vehicle must be added to the Ford app, and that vehicle’s modem must be enabled. You can tell if your car has a modem by checking the windows for a “FordPass Connect” or “SYNC Connect” sticker. Unlike the Toyota app, the Ford app is free to download and use, with no subscription required.
The exact features you can access through the Galaxy smartwatch vary depending on the car model. However, the company lists these features as available to those using a smartwatch with the Ford app: start, lock/unlock, remote activation of horn and lights, vehicle location, fuel level indicator (for internal combustion vehicles), battery level (for electric vehicles, current vehicle range, and state of charge (for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles).
Tessie
There is no official Tesla Wear OS app for Galaxy Watches, but drivers can use third-party apps to monitor and control compatible Tesla cars. Users often recommend using Tessie as an alternative, which has Wear OS built-in, allowing drivers to set Tesla automations and alerts, and track their trips, battery status, and vehicle charging. If you like to dig deeper into your vehicle’s analyses, Tessie may be right for you, as users have praised the level of detail the app offers and the fact that it has more features than similar apps.
However, the features you can access depend on the subscription plan you subscribe to. Although Tessie is free to download and offers a free trial (usually 14 days), a subscription is required to continue using the app after this period – which some users describe as “expensive”.
Three plans are available, with the standard Tessie plan – which offers less detailed analytics – costing $6.99 per month ($69.99 per year), the Tessie Pro plan – including detailed analytics but not all features – priced at $12.99 per month ($129.99 per year), and the premium Fleet plan – which offers all available features and in-depth details – costing $19.99 per month.
MyHyundai with Bluelink
Hyundai’s Bluelink app allows you to remotely control some key functions of Bluelink-equipped cars using your Galaxy smartwatch, including your horn, lights and door locks. You can check if your Hyundai car is equipped with Bluelink (or enhanced Bluelink+) by checking if your rearview mirror has a dedicated Bluelink button or if your car’s screen has a Bluelink icon or options.
Hyundai’s app supports Wear OS smartwatches, including the Samsung Galaxy Watch, with its mobile-ready version supporting watches running Android Wear OS 2.0 or higher (paired with a smartphone running Android 7.1.1 or higher) and Tizen OS 4.0 — paired with a smartphone running Android 5.0 or higher. If your car and watch meet the criteria, you can sync your Galaxy Watch with Bluelink by downloading the Bluelink app from the Google Play Store to your smartwatch and then following the setup instructions.
The Bluelink app on smartwatch offers the following features: Remote Engine Start/Stop (Model Specific), Remote Door Lock/Unlock, Remote Horn/Lights, Auto Health Air (Model Specific), Geo-Fence Alert, Speed Alert, Time Range Alert, Valet Alert, Stolen Vehicle Alert, Battery Life, Last Update Time, Refresh, Engine Status, HVAC Status, Door Status, Status tire pressure and fuel condition.
