Google has announced that it will now be possible to find your way around with its Maps application without necessarily using your smartphone. All you'll need is your Wear OS watch, provided that it's connected to a cellular or WiFi network.

This new feature will primarily concern owners of a latest-generation smartwatch, compatible with Wear OS 3, and which can connect to the cellular network. The idea is to allow users to bypass their smartphone thanks to an onboard version of Google Maps that offers turn-by-turn navigation, regardless of your mode of transport. This type of use could appeal to joggers or cyclists, for example, who will simply be able to look at their wrists to find their way around, and will no longer have to carry their smartphones, which connect via Bluetooth to their watch.

Previously, navigation via a smartwatch always required the presence of a smartphone nearby, which was not always very practical, especially when exercising. With this new version of Google Maps on Wear OS, the user will be able, if they wish, to set off without their smartphone, so long as their watch is connected, preferably to the cellular network.

To enjoy smartphone-free Google Maps navigation on a Wear OS watch, all you have to do is open the application on your watch, choose your connection type, enter your destination (via the map or by voice), choose your means of transport and then follow the directions onscreen.

Unsurprisingly, this version has been optimized for the Google Pixel Watch and the latest generations of Samsung Galaxy Watch (4 and 5), which are the only watches currently compatible with the latest version of Wear OS. Other high-end models should also benefit from the feature soon.

 - AFP Relaxnews