Rita El Khoury / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Sideloading files to Wear OS usually requires complex ADB commands, but the new Wear APK Install app offers a simpler solution.
- The app creates a Wi-Fi file server, allowing you to transfer APK files from a phone or PC browser and install them directly on the watch.
- This is a paid application that also serves as a file manager.
If you use a Wear OS smartwatch with your Android flagship, chances are that you’ve been tempted by the newer watch faces that Google has released for the Pixel Watch 4. It’s possible to install these watch faces on other watches, but you need to know how to sideload using ADB on your smartwatch. While the process is straightforward if you can follow a guide, it’s admittedly still a bit too complicated for the average user. Thankfully, there’s a new app on the block that makes it easy to install APK files on your smartwatch, while also offering file manager functionality.
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Developer Ajinkya Deshmukh has created the Wear APK Install app, a dedicated app for Wear OS smartwatches that simplifies the process of transferring files to your smartwatch and installing APKs. The app accomplishes this by creating a Wi-Fi file server on your Wi-Fi-connected smartwatch, which you can then access on your phone or PC using a web browser on the same Wi-Fi network, making it very easy to transfer files (even beyond APKs).
The app also features a file manager that allows you to view the files you’ve transferred to your watch. You can tap on the APK files to install them using the native Wear OS Package Manager.
You still need to download Wear OS-compatible APK files onto your phone. However, from there on, the Wi-Fi file transfer approach saves you from having to figure out wireless ADB debugging for simple sideload purposes.
Note that some APKs may still require ADB commands for sideloading (if the watch face is model-locked, for example). In such cases, you have no option but to fall back on ADB.
Please also note that the Wear APK Install app is a paid application. If you frequently sideload watch faces to your smartwatch (or yearn to do so but are put off by ADB commands) or want to transfer files to your watch easily, the one-time purchase may be worthwhile for you.
The developer plans to add more functionality to the app, like watching videos, listening to music, viewing images, and opening PDF and text files on your Wear OS watch. However, it’s best to temper your expectations and make purchases based on the current product, rather than relying on future promises.
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