Garmin smartwatch owners can now use WhatsApp to send texts and make calls. On Tuesday, Garmin revealed that WhatsApp is now free to download from its Connect IQ store. The app, owned by Meta, will be accessible on select Garmin Fenix, Forerunner, Venu, and Vivoactive smartwatches. This integration positions WhatsApp as the sole third-party messaging app accessible on Garmin smartwatches. Garmin ranks among CNET’s top fitness tracker manufacturers, particularly for runners and sleep monitoring. CNET recently evaluated several smartwatches for accuracy, awarding the Garmin Venu 4 the highest marks for top-tier heart rate monitoring on Android devices. “By integrating a popular messaging service like WhatsApp onto select Garmin smartwatches, we’re offering users a valuable new option to remain connected—whether training, adventuring, or just out and about,” stated Susan Lyman, Garmin’s vice president of consumer sales and marketing. Garmin smartwatch owners can read and reply to messages using the on-screen keyboard, handle incoming calls by accepting or rejecting them, and review up to 10 recent chat messages. The Kansas-headquartered firm employs end-to-end encryption to secure all messages exchanged via the watches.
