Do Galaxy Watch owners actually use Gemini? Survey reveals surprising results

Smartwatches are the perfect use case for a voice assistant — the small screen makes touch-based navigation and typing cumbersome, and users also have lower expectations and needs for the tasks they can accomplish on the watch. We’ve seen Google pitch Google Assistant for smartwatches before, and the company even blessed Wear OS watches, old and new, with Gemini. But how many people actually use Gemini on their smartwatch? As you may have guessed, not that many.

We asked our readers whether they use Gemini on their Galaxy Watch. Of the 1,856 votes, a substantial 686 readers, representing approximately 37% of the votes, voted that they don’t.

A small percentage of readers (~12%, or about 215 votes) tried out Gemini once on their Galaxy Watch, but the experience was so underwhelming that they didn’t bother to try it again. This means that 49% of voters don’t regularly use the refreshed voice assistant on their Galaxy Watch smartwatch. Gemini still has some ways to go to convince more people to use it regularly.

Fortunately, it appears that the majority do use it. A good 31% voters (with 585 votes) say they use Gemini occasionally, while another ~20% (371 votes) say they use it all the time, giving the combined “yes” option a thin 51% majority.

How are people using Gemini on their Galaxy Watch, though? My colleague, Brady Snyder, uses Gemini on his smartwatch to set nighttime alarms, create calendar events, start workouts, and execute multi-step commands. Android Authority reader rlc0607.rc uses Gemini on their Galaxy Watch Ultra for quick questions and answers.

One Android Authority reader mentions that whatever their watch can do, their phone can do with at least the same ease. Therefore, there is nothing of value that a smartwatch, and by extension, Gemini on the Galaxy Watch, brings to the table. The counterargument to this is that not everyone can carry their phone with them all the time; therefore, an LTE-equipped smartwatch can fill that role and make their lives easier.

We all use technology in different ways, and it must adapt to meet each of our needs. With Gemini on Galaxy Watch, Google is giving the adaptability that some of us need to make better use of our smartwatch, and that’s precisely how tech should work.