The Galaxy Watch 4 won’t have Google Assistant at launch, but there’s hope

Right now, Galaxy Watch 4 owners will just have to deal with Bixby.

What you need to know

• Google Assistant won’t be available on the Galaxy Watch 4 at launch.
• Samsung has said that the AI assistant will arrive at a later date, although it did not specify when.
• The Galaxy Watch 4 will have Bixby by default, similar to previous Samsung smartwatches.

With the Galaxy Watch 4 finally out of the bag, Samsung and Google have both highlighted how Wear OS 3 is bringing new app experiences to the platform. However, the companies have remained mostly mum on the subject of one pretty important experience: Google Assistant.

In our Galaxy Watch 4 hands on, Samsung told Android Central that Bixby would be the default on the smartwatch, at least initially. The company said that it would give Watch 4 owners the ability to choose between the two AI assistants, although it would not say when it would happen.

It may seem odd that Google Assistant isn’t present on a Wear OS device despite it being pretty much built into the platform on the best Wear OS watches. Especially considering that Samsung gives users a choice between other Google apps and services over its own, like Google Pay.

As recent as last week, there had been rumors that the company would give users the ability to choose between the two assistants, and while that apparently remains true, it seems we’ll have to wait some time before that becomes a reality.

We’ve reached out to Google for additional details, but a representative declined to comment.

For now, users will just have to put up with Bixby, but it may not be long before the two assistants start fighting for your attention as they do on the best Samsung phones.

Wear OS at its best

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4

From $250 at Samsung (Galaxy Watch 4)
From $350 at Samsung (Watch 4 Classic)

Teamwork makes the Wear OS dream work

The Galaxy Watch 4 is the first smartwatch to run the new Wear OS powered by Samsung. It has access to new experiences from Google, such as a revamped Google Maps and Google Pay, and will eventually have access to Google Assistant for the best in AI.