The Pixel Watch isn\u2019t exactly known for being super open. You\u2019re mostly stuck with Google\u2019s own apps and services, and certain things only work with Pixel phones. However, there are plenty of great open-source apps available to download. Here are five to get you started.<\/p>\n
One of the Pixel Watch\u2019s strengths is the long list of excellent pre-installed watch faces. Many of them can be fully customized with complications, which is the Wear OS term for bits of information you can add to faces, like weather, steps, date, battery, and a lot more.<\/p>\n
Complications Suite is an open-source app that adds even more complications to your toolbox. Things like date countdowns, more date choices, shortcuts to system settings, flashlight, moonrise and moonset, time zones, and tons more. It\u2019s an easy way to make Pixel watch faces even better.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m a long-time user of Google Tasks, but I must admit I don\u2019t like it as much as I used to. Tasks.org is one of the best alternatives out there, and it happens to be open-source. As an added bonus, you can easily transfer existing Google Tasks data over to Tasks.org.<\/p>\n
My favorite feature of Tasks.org is something Google recently removed from Google Keep: location-based reminders. This allows me to set up tasks for things that I need to do at a specific location. And even cooler than that is the ability to create full lists for specific locations as well.<\/p>\n
There is no shortage of 2FA authenticator apps available for Android devices, but not many have Wear OS companion apps. Luckily, one of the very few that does is an open-source app called Stratum (formerly known as Authenticator Pro).<\/p>\n
Stratum isn\u2019t flashy\u2014it does everything you would expect from an authenticator app. The fact that it\u2019s on your wrist, though, makes all the difference. It\u2019s super handy to log into a website on your PC and not pull out your phone, or log into an app on your phone without switching apps.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re like me, you probably don\u2019t have much reason for a file explorer on a watch. That being said, there are a few watch faces that can use photos. However, unlike Samsung with the Galaxy Watch, Google does not include a gallery app or file explorer on the Pixel Watch.<\/p>\n
For those rare occasions when you may want to browse through the internal file manager on your Pixel Watch\u2014yes, it has one, just like a phone\u2014AnExplorer is a nice open-source option. It can also be used to easily transfer photos and other files from your phone to your watch, and vice versa.<\/p>\n
AnExplorer is great, but to be honest, it\u2019s overkill for my purposes. I don\u2019t typically need to browse through files on my watch, but I do occasionally transfer files to my watch from my phone. WearFiles is an open-source app that focuses on this one thing and greatly simplifies it.<\/p>\n
In the past, when I've wanted to sideload an app on a Wear OS device, I\u2019d use a handy app called GeminiMan. The app uses wireless debugging to transfer an APK file to a watch and install it all in one go. It works, but the setup is cumbersome. WearFiles makes this process much easier\u2014no pairing code required\u2014but it\u2019s also for photos and other types of files. I just wish I had found it sooner.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, finding watch apps is not as simple as finding phone apps. You\u2019re either searching on a small wrist screen, or you have to know how to do advanced searches on the Play Store website. There are plenty of great Wear OS apps that simply never get the attention they deserve because of this. Hopefully, I\u2019ve helped you find a few open source gems.<\/p>\n
Pixel devices aren\u2019t generally known for having tons of options for people to play around with. That doesn\u2019t mean there aren\u2019t some goodies tucked away in the settings. Here are a few Pixel Watch features you should enable right now.<\/p>\n