The Apple Watch is undoubtedly one of the best smartwatches out there. Be it to track a workout or to respond to notifications. Another big advantage the Apple Watch has is the plethora of apps. Unfortunately, the Apple Watch can only be used with the iPhone. That leaves Android users with only one choice – Wear OS.
While Wear OS is feature-packed, it’s not as polished as watchOS on the Apple Watch. However, like all Android phones, it is customizable. And along with the apps on the Play Store, you can also download APK files just like you would on a smartphone. This is useful if you can’t find the app on the Play Store or if it’s not available in your area.
Here’s how you can install APKs on your Wear OS smartwatch to get apps.
What is the use of Sideloading app on Wear OS
Wear OS is a platform that has evolved over the years. However, the app ecosystem is still not very mature, with many app developers dropping support for their apps. This has resulted in many Wear OS apps being removed from the Play Store. You can install APK versions of these apps on your smartwatch and download them if you want to use an app that is no longer on the Play Store.
Some Wear OS apps that appear on the Play Store may not be available in all regions. For example, Google Pay is only officially available in some countries. However, you can install the APK on your Wear OS smartwatch and use it in your region.
How to install APK on Wear OS Smartwatch using ADB
There are several ways to upload APKs to Wear OS smartwatches, but we’ll do the most common way through ADB. You will need a computer to install the APK on your smartwatch through this method. It’s the safest way because no third-party apps are involved.
Set up ADB
Step 1: Download the relevant ADB files based on the operating system you use on your computer.
Step 2: Extract the ZIP file to a location of your choice. On Windows, hold Shift and right click on the extracted file and select ‘Open command window here’. On Mac and Linux, open Terminal, type CD and press Enter to change to the active directory. Then drag the extracted folder and drop it into the Terminal window. You should now get the path to that folder on Terminal. Press the Enter key.
Step 3: To enable ADB debugging on the watch, open the Settings app.
Step 4: Scroll down to the System section and tap on it.
Step 5: Tap About.
Step 6: Scroll until you find the Build Number. Tap it 7 times in a row to unlock Developer Options on your watch.
Step 7: Once you open the Settings app, you’ll find Developer Options at the bottom of the page. Touch it.
Step 8: Click the toggle next to ADB debugging to enable the feature. Tap the green checkmark when prompted for confirmation.
Step 9: Scroll down a bit and also enable the toggle next to Debugging over Wi-Fi.
Step 10: The watch may initially display an Unavailable message, which will soon be replaced by a string of characters including the IP address. This means ADB over Wi-Fi is enabled. Note the IP address shown here. It should look like 192.168.1.325:5555.
Install APK via ADB
Now that you have enabled ADB over Wi-Fi, transfer the APK to your watch and install it via PC.
Step 1: Download the APK of the app you want to install from famous sources like APK Mirror. Copy it to the platform-tools folder where ADB is installed.
Step 2: In the terminal window opened earlier, type ./adb connect <Địa chỉ IP>. The IP address here is what you recorded earlier. The command should look like ./adb connect 192.168.1.325:5555.
Step 3: Now, you will see a prompt on your watch to allow ADB connection. Select OK.
Step 4: The terminal window will show that you are connected to the watch.
Step 5: Use the command ./adb push
Step 6: The file will be pushed to your watch as confirmed by the terminal output.
Step 7: It’s time to install the app. Enter this command, where filename.apk should be the filename of the APK you want to install:
./adb -e install
Step 8: At this point, a Success message will be displayed on the terminal indicating that the application has been installed on your watch.
Step 9: Return to the Settings app on your watch, then go to Developer Options.
Step 10: Disable ADB Debugging to make sure it doesn’t drain battery in the background unnecessarily.
Step 11: Open the app drawer on your watch and you should see the apps you installed listed there. Open it and you can use it like any other app.
If you want to install multiple apps, repeat the process and finally disable ADB Debugging. The process is similar to installing apps on Android phones via ADB. The only difference is that we are using ADB over Wi-Fi instead of using a wired connection.
Install unsupported Wear OS apps on your Smart Watch
Download APKs of any apps you want and install them on your Wear OS smartwatch easily. This way you can use all apps and games that are not officially supported in your region or on your device.
Categories: How to
Source: thpttranhungdao.edu.vn/en/
